Photo: Stefan Baldauf/SB-Medien
A report from the Toledo Blade, citing the president of UAW Local 12, suggests that the JL Wrangler will start to roll off the assembly line in November 2017. The JK Wrangler, which has been on sale since the 2007 model year, will keep on keeping on till March 2018.
Fiat Chrysler declined to comment on the information provided by Mr. Bruce Baumhowever of UAW Local 12, but then again, what did you expect FCA US LLC to say? “Yes, that guy is spot on!” According to the report, the Cherokee will move to Belvidere, Illinois to make way for the JL Wrangler. The pickup truck version of the 2018 Wrangler, meanwhile, is expected to debut in late 2018 for model year 2019.
“The plant’s going to continue to run the current Wrangler just like they always have, working six or seven days a week,” added the UAW official, meaning that the JK and JL will coexist for a small portion of time. The 2019 Wrangler Pickup, known as the JT, is expected to expand the lineup no later than September 2018.
Still body-on-frame like a proper off-road vehicle, the 2018 Jeep Wrangler will make use of aluminum in its construction. Modern touches also include the advent of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine internally referred to as Hurricane. The turbo’d powerplant is confirmed to ship with an 8-speed auto (850RE).
The best-selling engine will come in the form of an upgraded version of the Pentastar V6. The current iteration of the 3.6-liter powerplant is prone to cylinder head failure. In other news, a 3.0-liter turbo diesel developed by VM Motori could also make the cut. Just like the 2.0- and 3.6-liter gas engines, the oil-chugging mill is said to be paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Namely, the ZF 8HP75.
There’s also been talk about a mild-hybrid and hybrid configurations of the JL Wrangler. On that note, the JL Wrangler could boast a 3-piece hardtop, an optional hardtop glass panel, and a power soft-top roof, depending on what the customer wants.
“The plant’s going to continue to run the current Wrangler just like they always have, working six or seven days a week,” added the UAW official, meaning that the JK and JL will coexist for a small portion of time. The 2019 Wrangler Pickup, known as the JT, is expected to expand the lineup no later than September 2018.
Still body-on-frame like a proper off-road vehicle, the 2018 Jeep Wrangler will make use of aluminum in its construction. Modern touches also include the advent of a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine internally referred to as Hurricane. The turbo’d powerplant is confirmed to ship with an 8-speed auto (850RE).
The best-selling engine will come in the form of an upgraded version of the Pentastar V6. The current iteration of the 3.6-liter powerplant is prone to cylinder head failure. In other news, a 3.0-liter turbo diesel developed by VM Motori could also make the cut. Just like the 2.0- and 3.6-liter gas engines, the oil-chugging mill is said to be paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. Namely, the ZF 8HP75.
There’s also been talk about a mild-hybrid and hybrid configurations of the JL Wrangler. On that note, the JL Wrangler could boast a 3-piece hardtop, an optional hardtop glass panel, and a power soft-top roof, depending on what the customer wants.
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