One of the worst-kept secrets in the auto industry right now is that Jeep is returning to the pickup truck game with a that's expected to debut at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show, which opens to the public Nov. 30. Jeep has a history of using any means possible to expand its existing SUV lineup to reach new consumer markets — the popular Renegade compact SUV and the returning full-size Wagoneer SUV come to mind. The most recent is the brand's return to pickup trucks.
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Longtime Jeep fans will remember the 1970s and '80s when Jeep built pickups on ladder frames (think J10, J20 and J30) or on a heavily modified unibody chassis like the compact Comanche (late '80s). However, none of those were considered a sales success. With the resurgence of the four-door Jeep Wrangler SUV and the popularity of aftermarket-modified Jeep pickups, the idea of a Jeep pickup makes more sense than ever.
Now, with a vehicle like the all-new Jeep Wrangler four-door getting strong praise from just about every corner of the automotive media, it makes sense that Jeep's Toledo, Ohio, plant will make both the ladder-frame Wrangler and a Wrangler-esque-looking Jeep pickup truck on an extended platform. The best thing about this strategy is that Jeep already has a built-in customer base to feed before even thinking about branching into new markets to capture first-time Jeep buyers.
From the we've seen during the last 18 months, it looks like Jeep has done a good job of making this new pickup, first and foremost, a Jeep and then making the necessary modifications (most of which was done by extending the wheelbase) to allow it to work more like a pickup. Jeep engineers clearly collaborated with past and present Ram engineers who have had quite a bit of success with that brand's full-size pickup truck lineup. In fact, from the photos we've seen, the rear axles on the new Jeep look similar to the setup on the 2019 Ram 1500. We hope that ends up being true on the production-model Jeep pickup, whatever its name.
As to that name, there has been a lot of recent buzz on JeepScramblerforum.com about the actual name of the new mid-size pickup. Many media outlets, like PickupTrucks.com, thought the Scrambler name from Jeep's old CJ days was the favorite, but now it seems the Gladiator nameplate could be making a return. In fact, JeepScramblerforum.com just changed its name to JeepGladiatorforum.com. Some might remember that the from 13 years ago was also an extended-cab, Wrangler-based pickup that got huge praise but never got the corporate greenlight. It should be interesting to see what Jeep finally does with this new mid-size pickup that is likely to be larger than past full-size Jeep pickups. More to come.
Manufacturer images of 2005 Jeep Gladiator Concept
