IMHO the article is bogus. Early 2008 is just around the corner. If the Gladiator was going to be here that soon, there'd be more info out about it. Shoot, if the Gladiator was going to be here that soon, general specs about it would probably be common knowledge by now. Chrysler is horrible about keeping details like that secret.

And why on earth would they use a Dakota chassis? I know we've got the boys at Dodge to thank for the design of the JK's chassis but I think it would take a lot more work to convert a Dakota chassis to fit a JK's body and running gear than it would to simply stretch the existing JK Unlimited chassis.... Unless they were planning what would basically be a rebadged Dakota, complete with IFS?? JK styling or not, a Dakota running gear would kill the Gladiator. People want a real Jeep truck, not just a Jeep styled truck.

Dakota chassis or JK chassis, it wouldn't be a "small" truck either way. The concept has a 138" wheelbase -- that's only 2" shorter than a Quadcab Ram!! And the JK's axles are nearly full-width anyway. The JK Unlimited is currently the biggest Jeep that Jeep produces -- it's bigger and has more cargo than both the Grand Cherokee and the Commander. It would be a mid-size truck, just like the Dakota, just like the new Tacoma (yes, the new Tacoma is most-definitely a mid-size truck now).

As much as I want this to be true I highly doubt it. I've been trying to find out info on this vehicle for quite some time and found a few sources with direct contacts within Jeep. According to them with any new 08 vehicle we would have already seen signs of prepping for production and that hasn't happened. It could come out in mid 09, or a very small limited run in 08 they could hide but then it wouldn't really be a production vehicle. This blog article looks like just a rehash of old info thats been out for years, except the Dakota frame stuff.

I do wish they'd make this, I've been waiting for a new Jeep truck for 10 years. Everyone says small trucks are dead. Thats because all small trucks around today are junk. Even the midsized segment are mostly city trucks that wouldn't stand up real work and abuse that a truck is supposed to be made for.

We used my Comanche as the primary workhorse in a family business for a decade, mostly attached to a trailer and hauling cords of wood or a yard of gravel in the back or a dozen bags of cement in the back. Most of the roads then were not paved so about 1/4 of it's 320K miles were very rough ones. No other vehicle we owned came close to withstanding that type of abuse even a few fullsized fords (ick) but the little Jeep just kept on taking it. Plus it was a favorite among friends for hunting, we could squeeze it through places carrying gear where a bigger 4WD wouldn't dare tread.

Jeep, please please please come out with another truck. Make a small truck that can haul 1600+lbs or tow 4K+ while getting 25mpg in normal driving and offroadable on the weekends like my 21 year old Comanche and people will buy them like hotcakes. Currently there is nothing produced that could replace my aging truck.. I haven't given up all hope on the Gladiator just yet but my patience is wearing thin, I've begun a ground up rebuild of my old Jeep. If noone will make a truck like I wan't I guess I'll have to. Hopefully it'll last another 20 years and quarter million+ miles of rough abuse ;) I just wish I could get one of those 2.8 turbo diesels the concept had to throw in mine.

If you "patriots" want to talk about your cute little Toyotikas, go to another website. You're in an unwanted minority, here. This site is for Jeepers. I wouldn't get out of the electric chair to buy a Toyotika at half price.

I hope you all sleep better at night in the comfort that the net profits from your rice-burning vehicles went back to Japan. YES, back to Japan. Even if they're "assembled" by a hillbilly, the profits go to some overpaid hard-on residing in the Rising Sun.

BTW, a Honda Civic can tote a mere 1300# of stuff, if it has to... like 4 football players... Sooo impressive... GMAB!

P.S. Don't forget to visit the dealership to get all the recalls fixed on your "high quality Tonka toys"

http://www.mycarstats.com/auto_Recalls/TOYOTA_TACOMA_Recalls.asp

http://www.internetautoguide.com/auto-recalls/05-int/trucks/toyota/index.html

Siyanara.

I have to disagree about the small pickup being dead. Maybe the mid sized trucks like the Dakota are dead but you can't tell me that a Toyota Tacoma with a 4 cylinder engine costs as much to produce as a 3/4 ton Chevy with a big V8. If they did they would cost as much to buy. Besides the Toyota is going to get much, much better gas mileage than a full size. Toyota has sold over 92,000 Tacoma's this year, alomst as many GMC Sierra's. People are too hooked on getting the biggest trucks they can with massive towing and hauling ratings just to bring groceries home.

when the gladiator pctures started showing up on the web i was really excited. and then...... i am "kinda in the industry" and one thing i know for a fact is that the small pickups are dead. they only cost about 5k less then their full size big brothers and they cost almost as much to make. i really don't know what jeep would be doing making a new model like that at this point in time. i highly doubt this is going to happen. like i said, i got really excited when i saw the glad. but the more i thought about it the more the 4dr looked better. the small truck is dead. i know for a fact that the chances of there being a new redesign for the ford small truck is somewhere around 15%. no one is buying them and they are expensive to make. if jeep knows what they are doing they will NOT produce the gladiator. maybe they don't know what they are doing. deisel wrangler anyone?

Well, one part of my brain wants this to happen, while the other part says" they will mess it up somehow"..too much plastic, bling,chrome, bells and things that light up...I will wait and see.

Remember, the MY08 Dakota gets the new 302HP/329 ft-lbs 4.7L-H.O.-V8! So, it would be awesome to get that in a JT/Scrambler... as long as JEEP remembers that MANY OF US LIKE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION in our Jeeps.

It could be a tactic to 'save' the Dakota platform (remember, they aslo share a version with a foreign automaker (Mitsubishi ?), or at least add production to a plant with excess capacity (remember, they cant make enough Wranglers, so how could Toledo add a PU version ?)

Anyway, I like the SkunkWerks PU version, and building a 2 door, long wheelbase Wrangler and calling it a Scrambler would be a no-brainer, I thought that is what 'Flexible Platform" was all about.

A Gladiator Pickup would be a great addition nonetheless, as long as it is 'JEEP Tough'

So would the frames be built at the Dakota factory and then shipped to Toledo's Supplier Park to finish the vehicle? What is the source of all these rumors? Is it Chrysler execs planning their first moves of what they will do after the partial-divorce of their German partners?

Those are the kind of details that would make this rumor credible. Unfortunately, it is probably just the ramblings of someone with one too many six packs.