GMC talking to dealers about possible Jeep Wrangler competitors
2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4
With respect to the team at GMC, it's pretty much fair to say the manufacturer prospers on a lineup of nothing more than gussied up Chevrolets. The brand's successes aside, GMC can be boiled down thusly – the Sierra is a Silverado, the Terrain an Equinox, the Canyon a Colorado and the Acadia is a Traverse, albeit with sometimes dressier duds. Strictly speaking, it's not that simple – Acadia and Terrain have siblings beyond the Bowtie – but the brand is remarkable for its lack of distinctive models.
That could change, though, as The Wall Street Journal is claiming General Motors has broached the idea of a building a GMC-badged competitor to the Jeep Wrangler during a meeting with dealers.
WSJ claims the new off-roader would "borrow cues and capability" from the defunct Hummer brand. That, of course, could mean many, many different things. While the original Hummer, the H1, was an exceptionally capable vehicle off-road, the H2 and H3 weren't nearly as single minded. It's unclear if a Hummer-inspired, off-road-ready GMC would lean more towards the former than the latter.
According to WSJ's report, the GMC Jeep appears to be in the very, very early planning stages, with one unnamed source saying the idea was "being kicked around real hard." GM is still courting dealers for feedback, while it refused the Journal's request for comment.
What are your thoughts? Is a Wrangler competitor long overdue for GM? Do you think GMC is the best brand to introduce such a model? Have your say in Comments.
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Featured Gallery2013 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited Rubicon 4X4
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It sounds like GM finally will produce the Hummer HX concept from 2008. If you don't remember the Hummer HX concept, just Google it and there's plenty of info. It was considered a production-ready concept and there was a very enthusiastic response, but then GM killed the Hummer brand. Personally, I think killing the Hummer brand was a monumental mistake. The vocal opponents of the brand were irrelevant because they never would have purchased a Hummer in the first place. Now many former Hummer owners are driving Ford trucks and Ram trucks that are just as large as Hummers. Neither the environmentalists nor GM won that battle.
The best thing that could happen to Wrangler fanatics is a competing vehicle from GM or Ford (or both). The 2015 Mustang is the best Mustang ever. Why? Because of the intense competition from the Camaro and the Challenger. It is long overdue for competing vehicles from GM and Ford to challenge the Wrangler. The Wrangler improves at a glacial pace because it has no direct competitor.
In the last 7 years, the concept vehicle that most appealed to me was the Hummer HX concept. I would be extremely excited at the opportunity to buy one re-badged as a GMC.
I'll even suggest three possible names just in case any suits from General Motors are lurking: the GMC Moonlander or the GMC Spartan or the GMC Warthog. Please, no alphanumeric names.
One last thing - if General Motors decides to produce such a vehicle, then they better get it right the first time. The off-road crowd will ruthlessly ridicule any vehicle that is not a legitimate competitor to the Wrangler.
And one more last thing - don't change anything about the awesome interior from the Hummer HX concept on the GMC production vehicle. That includes the waterproof interior fabric. And everything needs to be removable (fender flares, doors and roof panels). Actually, I'll make it even simpler - don't change anything from the HX concept vehicle because it was perfect (except for that "biofuels" nonsense). Just insert a five-bar grill that says GMC instead of the eight-bar grill that said Hummer.
I currently have a 2014 Wrangler and it's outdated because there is no direct competition to keep it fresh. I love the Hummer HX concept and wanted one badly but ended up with the Wrangler because it's the only car that fits what I am looking for. I think they should make it and launch it at the same time when the new body for the Wrangler is out.
I have to admit, before they killed Hummer, I was really looking forward to the HX as a Jeep competitor. I was the first vehicle in a LONG time that got me excited about the prospect of a new vehicle. I really hope they take what they can from the HX (hopefully quite a bit) and can come up with a GMC branded Jeep alternative that is a true competitor. Now THAT would have my money in a heartbeat! I'll second the name, GMC Spartan.
I currently have a 2014 Wrangler and it's outdated because there is no direct competition to keep it fresh. I love the Hummer HX concept and wanted one badly but ended up with the Wrangler because it's the only car that fits what I am looking for. I think they should make it and launch it at the same time when the new body for the Wrangler is out.
I think it really depends on which way they go with it. The wrangler has always served 2 markets - hardcore offroaders as well as those who wanted a 4X4 convertible. Remember, the girl in Clueless had one. It's similar to a mustang, in that it's a hardcore vehicle and a cheerleader one too.
I owned 2 Wranglers and they were great for what they were. GMC would have to way over-design it to even get the off-road crowd's attention. Jeep has such a monopoly in both OEM and aftermarket offerings. If they make it too luxurious, no one will take it off-road. Plus, there's increased competition with the cheaper Renegade and the upcoming Defender replacement. Either way, GMC will be fighting LR & Jeep's 50-60 years of icon status. I think that GMC could make a vehicle in this segment that works - but would enough shoppers notice/leave the standby? GMC does have a new smaller truck frame to play with - but it has an IFS (far inferior off road). They've even got a manual and a diesel already on that platform... A Wrangler competitor based off the Canyon? It could work.
It makes sense. Jeeps are wildly popular and Wranglers sell more than they should for being such a dedicated offroad vehicle. It shows American consumers like the Jeep Wrangler recipe.
Given the fact that Toyota now terminated production of the FJ Cruiser and the Nissan Xterra isn't taken seriously as a rival to the Wrangler, the Wrangler is kind of on its own and killing it.
However, GM has its fans and more diverse powertrains. If they can make a true SUV like the Wrangler and not bloat the dimensions like they did with the Hummers, then maybe they have a shot at the Wrangler's sales success.
Personally, whoever is the first to make a diesel 4 cylinder manual transmission version of a 4x4 vehicle like the Wrangler gets my money. I want a gnarly offroader that I can ALSO have as a daily commuter without crying at the pump every time I fill up. We all know this $2.20 gas isn't going to last forever. The Wrangler's fuel economy is dismal and has been a repellent for me.
I like the Wrangler, but there needs to be a serious competitor that steps up and offers something to seriously rival it. It should offer things the Jeep doesn't.
Americans don't like the Wrangler recipe, they like the Wrangler. People who buy Wranglers don't run down a checklist, they rarely cross-shop, and they don't want just any badge on the front of their car. They want a Jeep and they want a Wrangler. The relatively tepid response to the Hummer H3, Nissan XTerra, FJ Cruiser, and the disappearance of the Scout and Bronco are prima facie evidence that the Wrangler is the only vehicle of its type with any staying power. But that's not the only way to succeed in the market - the F-150 Raptor shows that there's a number of different offroad-oriented vehicle "recipes" out there that Americans will respond positively to. But trying to copy the Wrangler is a fool's game. GMC needs to
Oh, and just a tip: stop trying to make one vehicle accomodate diametrically opposite tasks. Buy a gnarly offroader AND a daily commuter. The attributes that make a car good at one of those tasks disqualifies it for another. I own a Wrangler and a Tesla Model S, and they're both phenomenal at their particular focused task.
I agree with you. Jeep has decades of nostalgia in it's favor and trying to suddenly copy that success is a waste of time. As for Wrangler owners, it's a 2nd vehicle for a large percentage of it's owners. It's a vehicle built for a specific purpose and driving one everyday will turn into a pain in the ass.
While theres a huge difference between the tesla and wrangler, cars are getting much better at being able to be good for multiple purposes. i favor cars being more useful for then just one main thing because eventually we will get to a point where we can have vehicles be great at multiple things. active suspension along with powerful traction managment systems imo are some of the best tech we have seen implemented into todays cars for more all around use. we see it work for sports cars that now can be very track capable and also be comfortable for daily driving. i think we can get an off roader like the wrangler to be as comfortable on the highway as a tesla one day while also being able to be hardcore off roader. while specific purpose vehicles will also advance with tech and still be better for that one purpose over many, depending on the application i think we will have great multi use cars that satisfy almost all.
Your criticisms of the Wrangler are valid. Many people in the Jeep community feel the same. We are hoping the promised lighter and smaller Wrangler will be a reality as it will pay off dividends both on and off-road. We already know the 2018 Wrangler will use an aluminum body, more aluminum in general, and almost certainly a lighter hydroformed frame. There is also a lot of talk on allpar about the smaller 3.2 pentastar and 9 speed from the Cherokee making its way into the Wrangler in addition to a diesel option.
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