Gladiator Not To Be...

alljeep · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:08 pm

It's been shelved indefinitely:

http://wardsauto.com/ar/jeep_gladiator_production/

Quote:

Thumbs Down on Jeep Gladiator Production
By Eric Mayne
WardsAuto.com, Aug 18, 2006 9:25 AM

RUBICON SPRINGS, CA – Chrysler Group’s Jeep brand will not be returning to the compact pickup arena anytime soon, the auto maker’s chief operating officer says.
Chrysler executives had been contemplating a production version of the Jeep Gladiator concept that debuted at the 2005 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. "It wasn’t profitable,” COO Eric Ridenour tells Ward’s.
The decision belies an unprecedented lineup expansion that will see Jeep’s showroom grow, by year’s end, to eight models from three.
However, while the Gladiator’s death threatens to disappoint dealers, brand enthusiasts and SUV aficionados in general, it may impress Wall Street as a sign of Chrysler’s shrewdness.
Chrysler has adopted a renewed focus on bottom-line performance as it fights to maintain momentum that has produced U.S. market share gains while cross-town rivals General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co. have seen their shares erode.
This discipline was demonstrated most recently by the caution exhibited in the face of overwhelming positive reaction to the Dodge Challenger concept car unveiled at this year’s Detroit auto show.

Jeep Gladiator debuted at 2005 Detroit auto show.
Despite the strong favorable consumer response, the final go-ahead was issued only after President and CEO Tom LaSorda ordered that the business case be based on the high-margin scenario of a limited production run and scaled-down volumes.
The Gladiator concept, which features bold styling that influenced the redesigned ’07 Jeep Wrangler, is based on a unique platform. But Ridenour told Ward’s previously that a production truck, if approved, would have been a niche vehicle based on an existing midsize body-on-frame architecture.
Meanwhile, Ridenour dismisses the notion Chrysler is squandering an opportunity to re-energize a segment where the top-selling product – the Ford Ranger – is also the segment’s oldest product. “We have Dakota,” he says.
Though redesigned for ’05, sales of the Dodge Dakota are down 30.6% through July, reflecting a first-half segment-wide slide of 10.3%, according to Ward’s data.

Gladiator production would have marked the end of a prolonged pickup market hiatus for Jeep. It stopped building the Comanche in 1992 after a 6-year run.
The decision to shelve the product also marks the second time in two years Chrysler has passed on a Jeep pickup. The Scrambler concept, which debuted at the 2002 Specialty Equipment Market Assn. (SEMA) show in Las Vegas, briefly was considered for production before the auto maker nixed the idea.
Jeep has a history of pickup production that dates back seven decades and includes nameplates such as the Honcho and Jeepster.
There even was a previous Gladiator, which ran from 1963 to 1970.
But Ridenour is loath to admit the latest Gladiator is dead and buried. Though short-term production plans have been killed, he adds: “You can never say anything long-term in this business.”

Jeger · **Posted:** Tue Aug 22, 2006 4:14 pm

I read this just a little while ago, I must admit I had my hopes up for this one. Maybe they will bring it back. He didnt rule it out completely.

Jeger · **Posted:** Mon Aug 28, 2006 7:40 am

From http://www.automobilemag.com/future_car ... gladiator/

"Gladiator" was the name of Jeep pickups in the 1960s, but this concept actually harkens back further to the more militaristic Jeep Truck of the 1950s. In essence, the Gladiator marries a Wrangler front end with a very small extended cab and a seven-foot cargo box. The ultra-long, 138-inch wheelbase makes room for the jaunty, side-mounted spare. Jeep has fitted the Liberty's new 2.8-liter diesel under the hood, and the Gladiator naturally features four-wheel drive and solid axles front and rear. The rear axle is not located by leaf springs, which wouldn't allow for the short rear overhang, but instead uses coil-over dampers. The cab has the usual rear-hinged access door on the passenger side, but driver's side access to the rear seat is via a small "dog door" roughly two feet square. That's appropriate because the rear bench is better suited to canines than to people. The Gladiator also offers a twist on the Midgate theme: the cab rear window powers down, the rear-seat squab tucks down to the floor, and the rear bulkhead then slides forward, like a drawer, to increase the cargo bed to a full eight feet in length. Regardless of whether or not that trick could be engineered for production, this good-looking pickup would be a great, and fitting, addition to the Jeep line.

This pickup-truck version of the Wrangler is a more natural Jeep brand extension than the Commander, the Compass, and the Patriot combined. Previewed at the 2005 Detroit auto show, the Gladiator uses a stretched Dodge Dakota chassis, an extended cab with two rear jump seats, and a five-foot, eight-inch cargo box. Expect the Gladiator in 2008.

Do they know what they are talking about? I sure hope they do.

Jeger · **Posted:** Thu Oct 26, 2006 3:56 pm

Here's an interesting little tidbit.

http://blogs.edmunds.com/.ee953e5

http://www.allpar.com/trucks/jeep/scrambler.html

See anything interesting sticking out of the bottom of the bed?

Oh, and look under the hood

2006KJSPORT4x4 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:05 pm

O DEAR LORD!!!!!

BUILD IT AND THEY ALLLLL WILL COME!!!!!

That looks friggin sweet....

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 26, 2006 4:44 pm

I almost like it as much as the Rescue concept!This would be the 2nd vehicle(the 1st being the Rescue)I would trade my KJ in for.It's got a HEMI :shock:

.I really miss having a pickup to.

T^2 · **Posted:** Fri Nov 24, 2006 8:53 pm

I think DCX is making a mistake on this one. It's surprising too considering how daring DCX has been with other models. I think there is a lot of interest in midsize and small full-size Diesel pickups. I've read that Ford and Chevy are trying to make 1/2 tons (F-150 and 1500's) available with Diesels by 2009/2010. A midsize Diesel truck with the Jeep name and abilities would sell like gangbusters in my opinion.

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat Nov 25, 2006 1:26 am

Those people and that one guy in particular doesn't know what they/he is talking about!!!

"We have the Dakota!" Whupdedoo!!! You also make the stupid Compass and Caliber AND THEY ARE NICHE VEHICLES!

Can they get any more stupid? I would bet the Gladiator would outsell the Dakota easily. As you can see, everything has to be Chryslers way, not Jeeps.

Dear Daimler Chrysler, please quit destroying Jeep and sell them to someone that cares about Jeep and won't tank them.

Albert · **Posted:** Sat Nov 25, 2006 7:07 pm

If they build the Gladiator - and it is real close to the concept one - I will buy it.

DZL_LOU · **Posted:** Sat Nov 25, 2006 8:49 pm

Albert wrote:

If they build the Gladiator - and it is real close to the concept one - I will buy it.

You would be hard pressed to find a "Diesel Head" that would not trade in a CRD KJ for a CRD Gladiator.
I love my CRD KJ as I love my wife, but like I told my 40 year old wife I'd trade her in for two 20's if the right opportunity arose! :lol:

The CRD Gladiator would be an example of one of those opportunity trades. However, I stand just as good of a chance of trading for those two 20's as I do for a CRD Gladiator. That chance is ZERO as it will not be made.

Ranger1 · **Joined:** Mon Oct 17, 2005 7:40 pm **Posts:** 1137

I think the diesel Gladiator would have sold nicely in the compact pickup truck market. While it wouldn't have substituted for a 1500 class pickup truck, due to the short bed length, or family transportation pickup class, that probably would have been good overall for DC, as it would fill a niche without significant cannibalization of sales of Dodge Dakota/Ram 1500 pickup trucks. It would have sold well I believe to the owner who needs transportation to work, without excessive fuel consumption, but also needs more than an occasional hauling trip for home, work, or other light duty use. Who knows, it might have been a runaway seller.

I personally would have added a Gladiator to my Liberty CRD, if I had been in the market for a compact pickup truck, assuming they fixed the egr/ccv problem!). A six speed tranny would have eliminated the troublesome automatic issue entirely.

spencevans · **Posted:** Thu Jan 18, 2007 7:51 pm

I would sell my left lugnut for one of these. Solid axles and a diesel engine, who wouldn't want one?

salopez · **Joined:** Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:52 pm **Posts:** 32

I just got back from talking to the Jeep reps at the DC auto show...where the Gladiator sat. They say they may still build it if people contact them saying they want it. Oh and its beutiful!

Jeger · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 9:36 am

salopez wrote:

I just got back from talking to the Jeep reps at the DC auto show...where the Gladiator sat. They say they may still build it if people contact them saying they want it. Oh and its beutiful!

That is a bit of good news, I will send an email or make a phone call. Any suggestions on who to contact?

DZL_LOU · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 11:10 am

salopez wrote:

I just got back from talking to the Jeep reps at the DC auto show...where the Gladiator sat. They say they may still build it if people contact them saying they want it. Oh and its beutiful!

Are you sure those were actual DC reps? They had the Gladiator at the Indianapolis auto show as well. However, all I saw was the "Ken" and "Barbie" dolls running around in their khaki jeep vests. When I asked a trick question as to, "What powerplant is in the Gladiator?" the response I got was, "What is a powerplant?"

Maybe you got lucky and got actual DC reps, but manufacturers usually send the "pretty people" to these shows that will make you feel pretty to if you just hang around them and their vehicles.

I really doubt that DCX will introduce the Gladiator based on fan mail.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Jan 27, 2007 12:13 pm

Quote:

salopez

I just got back from talking to the Jeep reps at the DC auto show...where the Gladiator sat. They say they may still build it if people contact them saying they want it. Oh and its beutiful!

They said that about the Rescue concept to,I sent a letter to DC and they sent a letter back saying they needed 2000 more and now we have the stupid Commander :evil:

.

salopez · **Joined:** Sun Apr 09, 2006 7:52 pm **Posts:** 32

many cars have been produced due to customer reaction to them...prowler, viper....
i sent 3 emails this weekend to dc.

I think they were real dc employees that were at the show. infact they did not which powerplant was in the gladiator and that it would actually change because of emmisons!

hope and pray...thats what i say...

Reflex · **Joined:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:48 pm **Posts:** 567

My girlfriend's father works for DC and has for 30+ years. I chatted with him about the Gladiator and he also said that if we really want it we need to generate feedback and get a campaign going. He does not know who to send mail to, but as pointed out by others it has worked with other models in the past.

Personally I'd trade in my Liberty CRD for a Gladiator in a heartbeat. I only got the Liberty because no one makes a small truck with a diesel. That said, I'm very happy with it, its just not quite my style and I miss being able to toss anything in the back of my truck(used to drive an S-10).

Thought I'd throw in my two cents.

DZL_LOU · **Posted:** Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:00 pm

salopez wrote:

I think they were real dc employees that were at the show. infact they did not which powerplant was in the gladiator and that it would actually change because of emmisons!

hope and pray...thats what i say...

When the Gladiator debuted last year in the 2005 autoshows it had a 2.8L CRD VM Motori Powerplant same as in our Libby.

Gladiator Not To Be...

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