Chrysler Boss Details Future Vehicles

DETROIT — The ill-developed and unloved seven-passenger Jeep Commander just went out of production, but Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne spilled the beans at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show this week that Jeep already has a replacement on the drawing board — an ultra-premium, three-row SUV that revives the storied Grand Wagoneer name.

Earmarked for the 2013 time frame, the new-era Grand Wagoneer is likely to rely on the architecture of the new 2011 Dodge Durango, which Marchionne said wouldn't have seen the light of day if he had been in charge instead of the clueless financiers of former owner Cerberus Capital management.

"If I had been here," Marchionne said, "the Durango would have been a (Jeep) Grand Wagoneer."

Part of the reason for the Grand Wagoneer's revival comes from Marchionne's insistence that in Chrysler's new four-brand showrooms — Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram trucks — Jeep is the only brand that should be selling true SUVs. He also promised that all future Jeeps will have to offer "Trail Rated" capabilities.

The Chrysler CEO admitted most everyday buyers won't want — or need — the optional extra-beefy components required to be Trail-Rated, but off-road prowess remains the essence of the rugged heritage that generates the brand's cachet. "I can't have a Mickey Mouse Jeep," he said, in what may also have been a swipe at the much-criticized Compass and Patriot crossovers launched under the Cerberus regime.

Marchionne also acknowledged Jeep is ready with a Euro-spec variant of the Grand Cherokee using Fiat's 3-liter V6 turbodiesel, but despite all the engineering work already done, it's unlikely Jeep will sell the diesel Grand Cherokee in the U.S.

Diesels have been "incorrectly maligned" in the U.S., he said, but added it's "doubtful" we'll see the torquey diesel in our Grand Cherokees because the cost of U.S. emissions compliance is so high. He didn't completely kill the idea of using diesels, though. "If we can do it, we will," Marchionne said. "It's all about economics."

Meanwhile, those new four-brand showrooms mean the company's minivan lineup probably will be chopped to avoid redundant marketing. Because sales are so evenly divided, it's not yet decided whether the Dodge Grand Caravan or the Chrysler Town & Country will be the nameplate to get the heave-ho, but we're betting it's the Chrysler, as Marchionne said Dodge is "the true all-American brand."

Around the time its full-size minivans are redesigned, Chrysler also will address the still-forming mini minivan segment with a smaller people mover apparently on par with the new Ford C-Max and Toyota Prius V, both of which were unveiled at the Detroit auto show.

Finally, don't get too worried about the muscle side of the business, the new 35.5 mpg CAFE standard in 2016 notwithstanding. Marchionne said Chrysler's seminal Hemi V8 still has a future. Chrysler "has not abandoned" the Hemi, he said, although its presence has been downplayed in recent years.

Inside Line says: Nobody's going to argue with a more capable and more-focused Jeep lineup. And is it possible we might see a Hemi in a Maserati? — Bill Visnic, Senior Editor, Edmunds AutoObserver.com