A redesigned Jeep Wrangler is due to enter production in 2017 at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ [NYSE:FCAU] plant in Toledo, Ohio. It should arrive in showrooms that year, as a 2018 model.
From our spy shots we know the Wrangler’s rugged lines won’t be changing much. However, there will be some radical differences in the design aimed mostly at improving fuel economy. One of these will be the use of aluminum to help shed the pounds.
FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne in May 2015 said the automaker will stick with conventional steel for most of the construction though there will be aluminum for hung-on parts.
We now have a few specifics on some of the new Wrangler’s aluminum parts.
A leaked memo from Alcoa, obtained by Jeep Wrangler Forums, reveals that door inners and the outer and inner sections for the hood will be aluminum. The memo also reveals that some parts will be the first use of Alcoa’s new “high form alloy” although it isn’t stated which parts these will be.
Look for Jeep to also introduce a turbocharged inline-4 and 8-speed automatic to further boost the new Wrangler’s economy. (A V-6 and 6-speed manual will remain standard.) And further down the track we’ve heard there will be diesel and even hybrid options.
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