Jeep going bigger with new Grand Wagoneer, smaller with sub-Renegade?

Tue, 11 Mar 2014

The headlines are still rolling in for the new Renegade that Jeep unveiled at the Geneva Motor Show last week, but already reports are surfacing, citing sources within the company, about what Chrysler's iconic off-road brand will do next.

Speaking with Auto Express (whose reports we tend to take with a grain of salt or two), Jeep chief Mike Manley suggested that two courses of action are currently under consideration at Auburn Hills to develop two very different new models – one smaller and one larger than anything Jeep currently makes.

One plan would be to make an SUV or crossover even smaller than the new Renegade, although it isn't immediately clear what platform it would take. The Renegade (pictured above in Trailhawk spec) will be built in Italy alongside Fiat's upcoming 500X, but uses a heavily modified platform. We figure the smaller model, if approved, could base itself on the new Fiat Panda Cross.

One way or another, the purported sub-Renegade would take a back seat to the new Grand Wagoneer, whose development is currently under way. The new Wagoneer, long rumored to be in the cards, is to slot in (size-wise) above the Grand Cherokee to give Jeep a large seven-seater SUV. We doubt it will come with a woody option...

By Noah Joseph