Since it was revealed a year ago, the Ford Bronco has been winning the hearts of many off-road enthusiasts. While this may be a good thing for the blue oval, this heroic moniker’s return to the sphere means tougher competition for those that have held a strong position in the space. Once such manufacturer is Jeep that admits Ford’s latest competitor is a great one.
Speaking to The Detroit News during a roundtable meeting, Jeep CEO Christian Meunier says that despite this fresh challenger, the company’s plan is to stay on top in the off-road market.
“Competition is great,” Meunier said. “There is a craving for freedom to make you go anywhere. I think Bronco is going to be a good competitor, a solid competitor, we don’t deny that. At the same time, it puts us on our toes. It forces us to be better and better and better.”
As a means to tackle the Ford Bronco head-on, Jeep introduced the 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 392 which is the first factory-built Wrangler SUV with a V8 powertrain in nearly 40 years. This week at the Chicago Auto Show, Jeep will have its Wrangler Xtreme Recon package on display which enters its range as a response to the Bronco’s off-road Sasquatch package.
“There are a lot of things that are coming that are in the pipeline,” Meunier added. “We are going to keep our king of the hill position, for sure.”
Looking further ahead, Meunier adds that Jeep does have an intention to become the world’s greenest SUV brand through electrification of the line-up. A fully electric offering will cater to each segment by 2025, bringing with it several autonomous capabilities.
“Electrification … is a compliance issue, obviously,” he said. “But we think it has the opportunity to make our product even more exciting, even more capable and provide our community even better product in the future, obviously while respecting the planet.”
