Jeep Gladiator 4xe PHEV Hybrid is coming says head of Jeep Brand 👍

[TheDerb]

Except thats not true. Because the interior is completely different in terms of shape, protection, and structure, new seats, new side curtain airbags, new dash mean that they have to re-send the truck through safety testing which is a huge unecessary spend on something that will be dead soon. On top of that the new grille means new pedestrian safety and crash testing, the new tow rating means they paid for new SAE testing, and the new payload rating had to be recalc'd and certified based on new components. Again not stuff you do for a model that will be dead in less than 12 months. Only a fool would take the bet that they would spend potentially millions on a refresh for a vehicle that will only survive a few months when they had a perfectly adequate edition already.

He also could have easily answered that question by stopping at "Nothing to announce today" since the question was directly asked about the gladiator. Short of coming out and giving a date its the closest thing to confirmation he can give when he could have been substantially more vague or non-commital in both interviews. For some reason this forum thinks that they're going to kill off what has been up until this year the 2nd or 3rd best selling midsize truck with the highest profit margins in the sector all because, I'm not really sure. By that logic ford must be killing off the ranger and GMC must be killing the canyon too since they sell less.

It's all speculation. It's a guessing game. The good news is that this post can be revisited in a year when one of us will most likely be wrong. And at that point, we will have the satisfaction of saying "Told you so!". But until then, the usefulness of continuing to share our reasoning is probably exhausted.

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[j.o.y.ride]

That is something we do not agree on. I much prefer the black fenders. To me the, body matched fenders and top, it's too much color and no contrast. I will say though, the painted hard top in some colors does look good as long as it's with the black fenders. Others will disagree with me and it's OK. One should buy what they like.

The last thing I wanted was painted fenders and a painted hard top. I found my JTR with black fenders and a painted hard top in Snazzberry. It actually looks really good in this configuration.

Black painted after market fenders are best. But black ABS plastic fenders look like dog water.

 

[gladicanuck]

No real way to get the answer to any of the questions (coming or not, effects on range, weight, etc, price) other than waiting - I am a little surprised at the teasinng/implications though as I thought the lack of announcement, combined with pulling the Gladiator from Europe due to emissions standards, probably meant no 4xe coming, at least in the near future.

 

[Xrayphoton1]

I had a '22 gladiator for 8 months. I got the wrong trim and options for my needs so I traded it recently. Would love to see the 4xe come to gladiator and I'd get back into one. I really hope they don't kill it after this year

 

[halsjeep]

I'd be willing to bet money that the gladiator doesn't survive into 2025. Something else is coming

I totally agree. I fully expect the demise of the Gladiator and thats why there was not 4xe. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[Oilburner]

OK I just watched this TFL video The New 2024 Ford-150 Plus the Biggest, Baddest and Best Trucks of the 2023 Detroit Auto Show! - YouTube and Jim made a more direct comment regarding the JT. He made the same reference about 'the entire Jeep lineup will be electrified for 2025' but he also added: "...so there will be more to come for Gladiator" (at about the 6:15 mark in the video) Again a little vague, but seems more direct than what he said in the original presentation. Or maybe I'm full of Ca Ca

 

[BourbonRunner]

Still maintain they're holding off on major changes like 4XE and a Hurricane because of the strike. Secondarily the advances into the Hurricane and 4XE have been slowed by the pandemic and supply chain issues. High interest rates and changing Federal subsidies are also contributing.

Here's why I think this:

--In the run up to the strike, Jeep had Toledo cranking out as many Wranglers (especially 4XEs because it's the sales leader) and to a lesser extent JTs to ensure inventory on hand for the next few months. There's north of 23K 2023 JTs on lots across the country right now. This is a vehicle that sold only 27K units BTW between Jan and Aug 2023. (It is possible they had a ton of parts on back order for the old dash and needed to burn them up since that's the major change but less likely)

--That being said: Debuting a new drivetrain in the less popular JT was an unnecessary risk when the Wrangler sold over 2X more than the JT in 2022, 2021, and is far outselling the JT for 2023. There's still shortages of parts so from a business angle you throw what inventory you have into what you know will sell. And the Wrangler 4XE is a grand slam for Jeep.

--The pandemic slowed production and innovation for every automaker, parts were in tight supply, labor at all levels was questionable. Pretty sure if they did a major drivetrain change like a Hurricane or 4XE they also have to re-certify in crash testing too. I suspect if the pandemic had not occurred, the Hurricane would have already made it into the JT and we'd be seeing a scramble to get the 4XE in because of the popularity of the Wrangler 4XE.

--In spite of reducing and sunsetting Federal subsidies, the Wrangler 4XE continues to be a sales leader. That's a good thing. But they're also leasing a TON because the subsidies are heavier that way***

--Interest rates are killing high spec JT sales as is. They're already expensive, niche vehicles where Wranglers have far more general market appeal. Paying 7.5%+ for a $65K Mojave is rough. Paying that for a $74K Mojave with a hybrid drivetrain is far worse.

*** I suspect in another year or so we're going to see a ton of Jeep's Wrangler and GC 4XEs coming back in off lease, dropping values marginally. And when those subsidies disappear entirely the new 4XEs may wind up sitting on the lots, too.

I don't think the JT is dead in the water but I do think the outside forces created a perfect storm for Jeep to sit tight for just a bit longer before they make major changes. I still think we could see a 4XE come along later in 2024 as a 2025 standalone sold alongside 2024's if Jeep and the UAW can come to an agreement. Shuttering Toledo is a major move considering sales stats and profit margins on the JLU.

 

[DirkG]

There's too much community support (this thriving board is a perfect example), aftermarket support, marketing value, segment value, and relatively low-cost manufacturing operations of building the Gladiator right next to the shared-parts Wrangler in Toledo.

I don't see the Gladiator going anywhere. The 4xe is coming.

 

[Oilburner]

**He said a Lot of good stuff**

All logical & well-thought out points, however:
How did ALL of Jeep's competition manage to move forward with completely new platforms & powerplants when all Jeep could manage was basically a new grille & a screen for the Gladiator?

 

[Wheelin98TJ]

All logical & well-thought out points, however:
How did ALL of Jeep's competition manage to move forward with completely new platforms & powerplants when all Jeep could manage was basically a new grille & a screen for the Gladiator?

Wasn't most of the competition more due for a redesign?

 

[DirkG]

Yeah I think it's a little cheeky to point to the just-introduced-in-2020 Gladiator as old in the tooth when much of the segment got redesigned in one fell swoop. They were all fairly ancient...here's a snapshot of the segment prior to their 2022-2024 redesigns....

• Tacoma 3rd generation 2015-2022 (8 model years)
• Colorado/Canyon 2011-2022 (12 model years)
• Ranger 2019 returned to US after being gone for 8 years.
• Frontier D22 1997-2021 (25 model years)

Plus as we know the Gladiator is tied to the Wrangler life-cycle, so whenever the Wrangler gets a new toy, the JT will probably get it the following year.

 

[AstroZombie]

I drove 240 miles each way to buy mine (2x). We had looked at Snazzberry when it came out but we were not in a position then to buy.

yeah we drove from San Diego to Phoenix. it was the closes one at the time for the price.

 

[BourbonRunner]

All logical & well-thought out points, however:
How did ALL of Jeep's competition manage to move forward with completely new platforms & powerplants when all Jeep could manage was basically a new grille & a screen for the Gladiator?

I think DirkG answered that below.

Yeah I think it's a little cheeky to point to the just-introduced-in-2020 Gladiator as old in the tooth when much of the segment got redesigned in one fell swoop. They were all fairly ancient...here's a snapshot of the segment prior to their 2022-2024 redesigns....

• Tacoma 3rd generation 2015-2022 (8 model years)
• Colorado/Canyon 2011-2022 (12 model years)
• Ranger 2019 returned to US after being gone for 8 years.
• Frontier D22 1997-2021 (25 model years)

Plus as we know the Gladiator is tied to the Wrangler life-cycle, so whenever the Wrangler gets a new toy, the JT will probably get it the following year.

Lest we forget the ancient 4Runner, in production in the same chassis since 2009.

When the JT debuted it was ahead of the crowd. The others have had a few years to catch up. I suspect the Trailhunter, Ranger Raptor and ZR2 Bison coming in the next year are going to force Jeep to make a big splash with the JT to remain relevant.

I will add this:

The new grille and screen/dash may be an economies of scale thing and being new may have been subjected to other issues (suppliers?) that prevented a wider rollout.

If I'm not mistaken, not every JLU got the update in 2023, right? They just reserved the grille and dash for upper trims. And with the strike in play, my theory about increased production to avoid inventory issues may have been a good play on Jeep's part to burn up whatever supply they had on had/were contracted to buy.

 

[Geoarch]

Wondering with what engine they want to pair it. I have a Wrangler 4xe and it's fun to drive on roads. Now, I also have a JTRD, and I love the low end torque and fuel mileage even when towing, but I have doubt's the current 2.0T engine of the 4xe setup will provide a similar experience.

If Stellantis survives the strike and they remain affordable, which I doubt, they might do the same thing as the Wrangler, and have both PHEV and ICE versions. I believe I read on here that the diesel was being discontinued. We have a RAV4 PHEV and with our rooftop solar we drive around town for free (minus the original cost of solar, which was pretty cheap after the tax rebates). I love my JTR though.

 

[ecupip]

There is no way Jeep has an accurate depiction of how well the Gladiator sells. Sales started off slow in 2019 but then took off in 2020, 2021, and 2022...as did most cars during the pandemic. If it could be made, it was bought. Fast forward to 2023 and sales have taken a dive, like many other makes and models due to high interest rates.

Hopefully, there is a happy medium between both eras and the Gladiator will carry on.

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