Yardbird
Senior Member
What's Going On With the Jeep Gladiator?
Jeep chief sees potential with a better truck and pricing, but when will see results?
Story by Alisa Priddle,Manufacturer
The Jeep Gladiator sounded like a winner on paper: a meshing of two wildly popular things: a Jeep Wrangler and a pickup truck. But the Gladiator failed to ignite the anticipated demand, hurt in part by a high pricetag.
The new head of Jeep North America Bob Broderdorf says prospects for the Gladiator will become brighter and he is close to launching a structured plan. “We have been in the lab working. I am not far.”
“Gladiator has so much opportunity,” Broderdorf tells MotorTrend in interviews. Jeep added some aggressive programs in the final quarter of 2024 to address the pricepoint of the current truck, with more short-term moves to come. And there are creative ideas about how the truck could evolve in the longer term.
The Jeep CEO says he is bullish on the Gladiator which he thinks is a great product—it comes down to execution and pricing to boost sales and keep the Toledo plant humming.
007 2025 Jeep Gladiator Mojave front view© Alisa Priddle,Manufacturer
Pricing is Key
Broderdorf, who took over the Jeep job in September from his previous post at Ram, is acutely aware that there are good products being offered today in the midsize truck segment and to compete, the Gladiator needed the right value equation.In his first 90 days, Broderdorf has lowered the price of the 2025 Gladiator which now has a starting price under $40,000. The truck’s new NightHawk trim is turning fast, he says, as Jeep works to find the sweet spot closer to where the Gladiator used to sit in the showroom.
There are more aggressive consumer-facing programs to come, addressing pricing and packaging, to put the truck in the heart of the segment and grow volume. “You will see the short term get addressed quickly, in the next 60 days, and then from there we’ve got some long-term opportunities with the car.”
Building a Better Jeep Pickup
The longer-term plans will take more time and engineering and elbow grease to change the car to get it where it needs to be, he says.“I definitely think Gladiator has a long-term life with what we can do with that architecture.” He has seen cool ideas of what Gladiator could evolve into from design chief Ralph Gilles and his team. “They’ve done a great job. I’m excited to see how we can bring these to life.
Broderdorf hints that there are concepts in the works. “You will see some stuff we will do in the next year to showcase, to see which ones will get people excited.” But he is not sure if there will actual concepts to show this year.
He has his own fun ideas of where to take the truck and finds the prospects exciting. But it will take some work. “I gotta get into the business case. I gotta get the money and the other pieces that go with it. Just getting excited doesn’t get it done. I have to bring it to life.”
Not Just a Wrangler with a Bed
“Most people think of Gladiator as a Wrangler with a bed. Does it have to be? Are there different evolutionary options for that truck? There absolutely could be, that bring in different views, feeling, maybe a different buyer.”The new CEO wants to attract a different audience than would typically buy a Wrangler. He wants to be more diverse, bring in fresh ideas, create more of a truck from the start.
Jeep has an amazing history it can tap. “When we’re unapologetically Jeep, we usually win. If you are stuck in the sea of sameness, our company has not done well in that space. We do well when we make Jeeps.”
https://www.msn.com/en-us/autos/ent...S&cvid=68f0ff97fbed48839eab5ba94ee865b3&ei=20
Motortrend.com
