In the five years of Chrysler’s Mopar skunkworks program, where designers are given carte blanche with existing production vehicles, the biggest idea to make it into mainstream production is the Sky Slider full-length retractable canvas roof on the new 2008 Jeep Liberty. It hailed from the Liberator skunkworks project from almost three years ago.But the informal group of volunteers at the skunkworks could gain major credibility if the automaker decides to go ahead with the Jeep JT (Jeep truck) concept—a pickup version of the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited.
Like all skunkworks projects, the designers were just playing, says Ralph Gilles, vice-president of Jeep and truck design and ringleader for the program. Essentially, the team took an Unlimited, lopped off the second row. and sealed the hole to create a short bed, creating “cool” proportions.
This would be the easiest way to get a pickup back into the Jeep lineup, Gilles admits. Jeep’s pickup history dates back about seven decades and includes such nameplates as Honcho and Jeepster. The last pickup, the Comanche, went out of production in 1992, and the automaker has found it difficult to get a Jeep with a bed back into the lineup ever since.
A Scrambler concept at the 2002 SEMA show got fans riled again, followed by the Gladiator concept pickup at the 2005 Detroit auto show, which was a variant of the Liberty and truly a concept only, Gilles says.
Source : www.caranddriver.com
1 comment:
It is sad to see that the Patriot did not take off. I really had my eyes on it, but I think they waited too long while selling the Compass and Caliber. My big complaint was the materials inside were made of cheap plastic and that the Jeep seat rested on these cheap rails. I really wish they would correct this issue and maybe take some lesson from GM and Ford or maybe Toyota.
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