Report: Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer Will Be Standalone SUVs

Jeep boss Mike Manley revealed to Automotive News the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will predictably be the brand’s upscale SUVs. Between the two vehicles, Manley notes that the Grand Wagoneer will be an upscale version of the Wagoneer and that both will share platforms with the next-generation Grand Cherokee.

It’s important to realize the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will not be dolled-up variants of the Jeep Grand Cherokee, but will launch as separate models, apparently just sharing the same architecture as the Grand Cherokee.

Manley told AN that the Wagoneer name is “the pinnacle of premium for the Jeep world. In the same way as you may have an Overland and a Summit, you have different trim levels. So you could imagine the use of Wagoneer to denote a really premium vehicle, and the Grand Wagoneer takes it to the very next level.”

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be built at the Warren Truck Assembly plant in Detroit, Mich. Currently, that facility manufactures the Ram 1500 but production for that truck will be moving to the Sterling Heights Assembly plant for 2018. The previous Jeep Grand Wagoneer ended production in 1991 but the name was used to denote a limited-production, special edition variant of the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which had special Grand Wagoneer badges and a unique leather interior.

Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)

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