Jeep Gladiator Logo Shows Undying Love for Northwest Ohio
WTOL-TV reveals that the ‘Heart 419’ symbol is an ode to the truck’s home area code, Toledo, Ohio.
It’s been a long time since Jeep has had a pickup of its own, a drought that ended at the L.A. Auto Show with the debut of the 2020 Gladiator.
The truck is special enough on its own, but as Toledo, Ohio CBS affiliate WTOL-TV learned, every Gladiator will have something special stamped into the bed: a “Heart 419” logo.
The logo is, of course, a reference to the area code for Toledo, where the Gladiator will be built alongside its smaller sibling, the Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited. And its appearance to the Wrangler was done on purpose by its designer, Jeep lead exterior designer Taylor Langhals:
“For us it almost makes it a little bit easier to have such a strong brand heritage that we can work with,” Langhals said in WTOL-TV.
“We had trucks in the past,” said UAW Local 12 Jeep Chairman Mark Epley to WTOL-TV, “but this is actually a Jeep truck, so this is pretty cool. It looks like the Wrangler. We’re really excited about it. It’s got all the capabilities like they explained. It’s ready for the market and we’re gonna be doing a really good job at selling them.”
Those capabilities include a payload capacity of 1,600 pounds, a towing capacity of 7,650 pounds, secure storage in the rear of the cab, and plenty of off-road cred.
Of course, building the Gladiator in Toledo is the best part of the whole thing, especially for those lucky workers who will put their heart and soul into each and every truck to leave the line.
“It’s gonna be an awesome vehicle,” said plant employee Vickie Marino. “I don’t really know anything about it because I haven’t seen it yet, but what I’ve heard about it from people that are working on it, it’s awesome.”
“I know a lot of my fellow union members were concerned that, you know, they talked about maybe moving the Wrangler,” added fellow employee Joe Franks. “That’s a big part of Toledo. So it’s nice that FCA saw the value in our workforce and decided to give us an additional product to replace losing the Cherokee.”
“So as long as we have jobs here in Toledo, it strengthens the community altogether and we just all grow stronger together,” said assembly complex manager Chuck Padden.
So, on the first chance you get with your Gladiator, walk over to the bed and run your hand over the ‘Heart 419’ logo with reverence, for it’s more than a neat easter egg: it’s a symbol of pride for the 5,600 employees who built the truck, and for the thousands more in northwest Ohio who benefit from the Gladiator’s presence.
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