Jeep May Be Rethinking an All-Aluminum Wrangler
As we all know, the next generation Wrangler is going to be a radical departure from the current iteration of the popular off-road SUV. Using new engines, uni-body, and extensive amounts of aluminum, the Wrangler is set for its most drastic design change in history. However, all of that might be changing, according to a recent report from Automotive News.
According to the site, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne is now claiming that the new Wrangler’s most divisive component, an all aluminum body, might be on the chopping block: “We’ve run the numbers and we’ve simulated mileage and the impact [of using an aluminum body], because of the difference in costs — not just of the material but the actual assembly process — I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close.”
While this isn’t a definitive statement that the new Wrangler won’t have an all-aluminum body, it does point to the fact that Chrysler is potentially shying away from it.
Now we’ve already seen the resentment and annoyance that F-150 owners had when Ford switched over to an aluminum body, did this perhaps change Chrysler’s opinion on the matter? Or is it strictly that they can get the same fuel economy and strength, as Marchionne states, without using an all-aluminum body?
What do you all think? Should Jeep go all-aluminum, or stick with the same recipe? Sound off in the thread below.
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via [Automotive News]
images [Tom Cantwell]