- Jeep's lineup might lose some trims and/or models, to reduce complexity
- The Wagoneer lineup won't expand
- Jeep's a mass-market brand that sells vehicles in large volume, and the complexity is costing the automaker money
Jeep is likely to prune the number of trim levels it offers on its vehicles in the years ahead in an effort to reduce complexity.
The information was revealed by Bill Peffer, Jeep's senior vice president, in an interview with The Drive published on Wednesday.
“Complexity reduction is something that happens constantly, and we probably could stand to do a little bit more of it," he said.
In the case of a model like the iconic Jeep Wrangler, buyers can choose from Sport, Sport S, Willys, Sahara, High Altitude, Rubicon, Rubicon X, and Rubicon 392 grades, and to add more complexity there are multiple powertrain options that can only be configured with certain grades.
Bill Peffer
In his interview with The Drive, Peffer gave the example of the new 2024 Wagoneer S as a new way to do things. The electric midsize SUV will be launched in a single Launch Edition grade. More grades will surely be added, though there will likely be less than what we've typically seen from Jeep. One of them will likely be a rugged Trailhawk grade based on a concept shown during last week's debut of the Wagoneer S.
Reducing the number of grades on offer could improve efficiency and quality in production, in addition to easing confusion in the showroom, something Peffer also pointed out in his interview.
Reduced complexity will also become more important as Jeep continues to expand its lineup. In addition to the Wagoneer S, the brand has added a subcompact model called the Avenger in markets outside the U.S. The rugged electric Recon SUV is also coming to North America later this year as an alternative to the Wrangler.
