A Jeep Likely to Make Production?
Earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Jeep offered up a couple of unique concepts that had showgoers spinning their
heads, literally. The first, an odd creation dubbed Hurricane, powered by twin-HEMI V8s and capable of spinning in a perfect circle, won't ever make production, but the second, the Gladiator, looked ready for the showroom floor.
Could it be true? DaimlerChrysler has made it no secret that the Jeep lineup will soon be expanding in an effort to optimize its brand equity, and the new Gladiator, or something similar, might make the best use of the brand's familiar face than anything since the much-loved classic TJ.
Painted in an army-like olive drab green, and featuring black matte fender flares and massive knobby mud and dirt off-road
tires, one of which is a side-mounted spare, a long past Jeep tradition, the Gladiator looks ready to carry the troops into action.
Jeep's "Flexible Utility Truck," lucky they didn't call it the Flexible Activity Truck (FAT), sports an open-air canvas top just like Jeep models (and Dodge Dakotas) of yore, removable doors, a fold-down windshield, an expandable truck bed and a stow-away rear-seat cushion. If produced as is, the Gladiator would be one of the handiest pickup trucks on the market.
This is part of the reason for the concept, of course, not only to judge potential buyers' reaction to a prospective design language, and then again a Jeep pickup truck, something the brand hasn't offered in decades, but also to show off its creative side, when it comes to styling and features.
Earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Jeep offered up a couple of unique concepts that had showgoers spinning their
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| Earlier this year at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit Jeep showed off its Gladiator concept, a light truck that looked ready for the showroom floor. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Could it be true? DaimlerChrysler has made it no secret that the Jeep lineup will soon be expanding in an effort to optimize its brand equity, and the new Gladiator, or something similar, might make the best use of the brand's familiar face than anything since the much-loved classic TJ.
Painted in an army-like olive drab green, and featuring black matte fender flares and massive knobby mud and dirt off-road
 |
| Jeep's "Flexible Utility Truck" sports an open-air canvas top just like Jeep models (and Dodge Dakotas) of yore. (Photo: DaimlerChrysler Canada) |
Jeep's "Flexible Utility Truck," lucky they didn't call it the Flexible Activity Truck (FAT), sports an open-air canvas top just like Jeep models (and Dodge Dakotas) of yore, removable doors, a fold-down windshield, an expandable truck bed and a stow-away rear-seat cushion. If produced as is, the Gladiator would be one of the handiest pickup trucks on the market.
This is part of the reason for the concept, of course, not only to judge potential buyers' reaction to a prospective design language, and then again a Jeep pickup truck, something the brand hasn't offered in decades, but also to show off its creative side, when it comes to styling and features.