I'm helping Jeep design their next car
10-28-2010, 12:19 AM
#1
JK Enthusiast
Thread Starter
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: near Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Posts: 150
Likes: 0
Received 1 Like
on
1 Post
I'm helping Jeep design their next car
Received an e-mail from Chrysler after owning my new Jeep for about a month. The title was "Please help us design your next car". Now I've always liked designing cars, and I could think of a few things to improve the JK. Like pretty much everything, quality-wise...
Turns out it's just a survey about what's wrong with your car after you take delivery of it. One category is "Vehicle exterior" and it lists items such as "Wheels were chipped, dents in body, bumpers damaged, paint blemish/dirt in paint, light lenses cracked". Whaat? If all that was wrong with my new Jeep, don't you think it would be at the dealer right now? And the dealer would have sent a report to Chrysler?
Luckily there was one category "Other" where there was just one text box to fill in what I thought could be improved in the vehicle. I'm not sure how carefully this will be read though. The survey focuses entirely on what could be wrong with the car after you've just bought it.
What do you think? Missed chance to actually ask an owner what he/she thinks?
Opportunity to scare the hell out of the owner by listing everything Chrysler's quality control apparently misses?
Incidentally, after I answered all the questions, it asked the last four pages of questions again ... little bug?
Turns out it's just a survey about what's wrong with your car after you take delivery of it. One category is "Vehicle exterior" and it lists items such as "Wheels were chipped, dents in body, bumpers damaged, paint blemish/dirt in paint, light lenses cracked". Whaat? If all that was wrong with my new Jeep, don't you think it would be at the dealer right now? And the dealer would have sent a report to Chrysler?
Luckily there was one category "Other" where there was just one text box to fill in what I thought could be improved in the vehicle. I'm not sure how carefully this will be read though. The survey focuses entirely on what could be wrong with the car after you've just bought it.
What do you think? Missed chance to actually ask an owner what he/she thinks?
Opportunity to scare the hell out of the owner by listing everything Chrysler's quality control apparently misses?
Incidentally, after I answered all the questions, it asked the last four pages of questions again ... little bug?
10-28-2010, 05:40 AM
#4
JK Super Freak
I think the big issue is that they are trying to use too many "regular car" parts on wrangler...
for years wrangler had many parts that didnt exist on other vehicles.. axles, engines, fans, suspension parts etc were exclusive to wrangler..
this obviously allowed them to customize wrangler to be capable off-road and rugged as well...
now they are trying to cut costs because face it business just isnt there... chrysler cannot afford to have a vehicle that has too many 'exclusive' parts...
and the trouble is they car caught in a middle ground that is dangerous for the future of wrangler....
they are alienating the core crowd that buys them for off-road use.. but they also are not refined enough for the "regular SUV" crowd....
its a tough spot to be in.. the advertisements speak of interior and comfort refinements.. so that brings in the buyer who wouldve bought another SUV such as a durango, an xterra, etc.. but the wrangler will likely disappoint this crowd with door clunks, wind whistle from the top header, easily scratched plastics, bumping hoods, no rear seat HVAC, poor headlights, etc...
most people I talk to expect a $30,000 + vehicle to be perfect.. which a loaded sahara unlimited is well above that in cost.. but not perfection
the off-road crowd cries at all the creature comforts, making wrangler less rugged against water, mud, dust, dirt, etc....
the danger is that wrangler pleases no-one and then as a result stops selling....
a lot of this could be solved if chrysler would simply bring back the 'SE' style.. no nothing on it version... vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no radio, no A/C, stick shift, no fog lights, no EVIC, and a well sub $20k price tag... something that people could order options on if they chose...
the off-road crowd does not feel bad about spending money on mods.. but they do not want to spend money on standard features deemed useless for the purpose of their Jeep....
-Christopher
for years wrangler had many parts that didnt exist on other vehicles.. axles, engines, fans, suspension parts etc were exclusive to wrangler..
this obviously allowed them to customize wrangler to be capable off-road and rugged as well...
now they are trying to cut costs because face it business just isnt there... chrysler cannot afford to have a vehicle that has too many 'exclusive' parts...
and the trouble is they car caught in a middle ground that is dangerous for the future of wrangler....
they are alienating the core crowd that buys them for off-road use.. but they also are not refined enough for the "regular SUV" crowd....
its a tough spot to be in.. the advertisements speak of interior and comfort refinements.. so that brings in the buyer who wouldve bought another SUV such as a durango, an xterra, etc.. but the wrangler will likely disappoint this crowd with door clunks, wind whistle from the top header, easily scratched plastics, bumping hoods, no rear seat HVAC, poor headlights, etc...
most people I talk to expect a $30,000 + vehicle to be perfect.. which a loaded sahara unlimited is well above that in cost.. but not perfection
the off-road crowd cries at all the creature comforts, making wrangler less rugged against water, mud, dust, dirt, etc....
the danger is that wrangler pleases no-one and then as a result stops selling....
a lot of this could be solved if chrysler would simply bring back the 'SE' style.. no nothing on it version... vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no radio, no A/C, stick shift, no fog lights, no EVIC, and a well sub $20k price tag... something that people could order options on if they chose...
the off-road crowd does not feel bad about spending money on mods.. but they do not want to spend money on standard features deemed useless for the purpose of their Jeep....
-Christopher
10-28-2010, 05:56 AM
#5
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Yukon, OK
Posts: 252
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
^ Pretty darn accurate summary. Thankfully, we do have great aftermarket support, so replacing those multi-vehicle parts isn't as difficult as it could be, though the costs sure can add up.
10-28-2010, 06:02 AM
#6
JK Enthusiast
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Hawai'i, Miami , FL, Alaska, Tennesse..S America
Posts: 188
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I think the big issue is that they are trying to use too many "regular car" parts on wrangler...
for years wrangler had many parts that didnt exist on other vehicles.. axles, engines, fans, suspension parts etc were exclusive to wrangler..
this obviously allowed them to customize wrangler to be capable off-road and rugged as well...
now they are trying to cut costs because face it business just isnt there... chrysler cannot afford to have a vehicle that has too many 'exclusive' parts...
and the trouble is they car caught in a middle ground that is dangerous for the future of wrangler....
they are alienating the core crowd that buys them for off-road use.. but they also are not refined enough for the "regular SUV" crowd....
its a tough spot to be in.. the advertisements speak of interior and comfort refinements.. so that brings in the buyer who wouldve bought another SUV such as a durango, an xterra, etc.. but the wrangler will likely disappoint this crowd with door clunks, wind whistle from the top header, easily scratched plastics, bumping hoods, no rear seat HVAC, poor headlights, etc...
most people I talk to expect a $30,000 + vehicle to be perfect.. which a loaded sahara unlimited is well above that in cost.. but not perfection
the off-road crowd cries at all the creature comforts, making wrangler less rugged against water, mud, dust, dirt, etc....
the danger is that wrangler pleases no-one and then as a result stops selling....
a lot of this could be solved if chrysler would simply bring back the 'SE' style.. no nothing on it version... vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no radio, no A/C, stick shift, no fog lights, no EVIC, and a well sub $20k price tag... something that people could order options on if they chose...
the off-road crowd does not feel bad about spending money on mods.. but they do not want to spend money on standard features deemed useless for the purpose of their Jeep....
-Christopher
for years wrangler had many parts that didnt exist on other vehicles.. axles, engines, fans, suspension parts etc were exclusive to wrangler..
this obviously allowed them to customize wrangler to be capable off-road and rugged as well...
now they are trying to cut costs because face it business just isnt there... chrysler cannot afford to have a vehicle that has too many 'exclusive' parts...
and the trouble is they car caught in a middle ground that is dangerous for the future of wrangler....
they are alienating the core crowd that buys them for off-road use.. but they also are not refined enough for the "regular SUV" crowd....
its a tough spot to be in.. the advertisements speak of interior and comfort refinements.. so that brings in the buyer who wouldve bought another SUV such as a durango, an xterra, etc.. but the wrangler will likely disappoint this crowd with door clunks, wind whistle from the top header, easily scratched plastics, bumping hoods, no rear seat HVAC, poor headlights, etc...
most people I talk to expect a $30,000 + vehicle to be perfect.. which a loaded sahara unlimited is well above that in cost.. but not perfection
the off-road crowd cries at all the creature comforts, making wrangler less rugged against water, mud, dust, dirt, etc....
the danger is that wrangler pleases no-one and then as a result stops selling....
a lot of this could be solved if chrysler would simply bring back the 'SE' style.. no nothing on it version... vinyl seats, vinyl floor, no radio, no A/C, stick shift, no fog lights, no EVIC, and a well sub $20k price tag... something that people could order options on if they chose...
the off-road crowd does not feel bad about spending money on mods.. but they do not want to spend money on standard features deemed useless for the purpose of their Jeep....
-Christopher
!..
10-28-2010, 09:48 AM
#7
JK Super Freak
an aftermarket company takes a gamble when they create a part.. they expect to sell X number of parts to justify their cost in designing, refining, tooling up and making the said part...
the gamble is that they sell enough, and that the vehicle isnt changed to render the part useless or requiring a redesign of the aftermarket part...
we look at YJ and TJ.. which each enjoyed pretty much a 10 year run with very little modifications done to them by the factory...
the TJ underwent a mild set of changes in 99 to improve the serpentine belt system as well as the HVAC system...
the JK made it through 3 model years with no real changes that would effect aftermarket parts..
2010 brought a complete redesign of the convertible top system... which is an area that requires aftermarket to completely re-tool... BesTop fortunately makes tops for OEM so we will have them... but other companies making tops will be hurt by this...
the 2011 interior redesign will cut into sales of aftermarket interior parts such as trim rings, dash mod pieces, gauge pods, switch panels, etc that were designed for the 07-10 interior.... some sales will still occur from people modding 07-10 wranglers.. but the source of new vehicles entering service is cut-off for interior mod parts... forcing the aftermarket company to re-tool...
if chrysler decides to put the wrangler along the lines of other vehicles they 'refresh' every 2 years... thats not a good sign for aftermarket support...
-Christopher
Trending Topics
10-28-2010, 12:37 PM
#9
JK Freak
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Boise, ID
Posts: 679
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I agree that you'll never be able to please everyone. I bought my 07 with all the creature comforts and I do off-road quite a bit with it. I like the best of both worlds. I would ask for more performance from the engine. There never seems to be enough power.
10-28-2010, 02:11 PM
#10
Sponsoring Vendor
Quadratec Rep
Quadratec Rep
Join Date: Oct 2006
Location: PA
Posts: 289
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
I too would like to see a barebones JK (ala J7 Stripper)... but given the assembly line cost of offering à la carte option list, you can kiss those days goodbye. More manufacturers are loading vehicles with standard features that were extra cost luxuries just a few years ago. You'll be hard pressed to find anything worth driving (off-road) under $20k (new), let alone without power everything.
As for model changes/updates affecting the aftermarket... the recent 2011 interior change has eliminated 3 aftermarket accessories (door arm rest, console arm rest & dash top tray) but has opened things up in other areas
As odd as it sounds, I am more concerned with the model changes/updates affecting resale value (gotta start saving for the next Jeep
)
As for model changes/updates affecting the aftermarket... the recent 2011 interior change has eliminated 3 aftermarket accessories (door arm rest, console arm rest & dash top tray) but has opened things up in other areas
As odd as it sounds, I am more concerned with the model changes/updates affecting resale value (gotta start saving for the next Jeep
)