The reason Chrysler axed the Jeep truck is because it competed directly with dodge. if you didnt allready know this but the Dakota came out after the Jeep comanche. it came out right after Chrysler bought jeep and the comanche never had a chance to take off like the previous jeep trucks that came before it. Plus the cherokee name goes way back to 1977 when jeep released the full size cherokee. the grand cherokee is the third generation in the cherokee line. the cherokee was one of the most popular jeep models ever made the only screw up was discontinuing the jeep 4.0 Liter inline six that American motors designed for the jeep line. Plus the golden eagle was back right before they replaced the TJ wrangler with the Jeep JK wrangler anyway. and Renegade is on the liberty line the ones that they should get rid of are the paitriiot and the compass because they are not and i mean NOT REAL Jeeps because they are front wheel drive with no low range in the drivetrain.

What Chrysler needs to do is not necessarily cut out models, but cut out repetitive base models which undercut the high-end models between brands...

Let Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler have their individual models, but cut down platform sharing on the low end...

For example the Nitro R/T is beautiful, and an SRT version would be a screamer...but do we need the base models running around? The base model Liberty is nicer than the base Nitro.

Make the Viper, the 300C and the Nitro R/T "Chrysler brands".

Leave the Off-Roading to Jeep, so they are free to build the JT/Scrambler and Gladiator off the JK platform, and I agree We dont need the Cherokee AND the Commander, so Axe the Cherokee and keep the Commander on its own platform (Commander goes better with Wrangler, Gladiator and Scrambler than Cherokee does anyway).
(Cherokee went along with the Golden Eagle/Renegade/theme, so unless those names are coming back, stick with one theme.)

As far as Dodge goes, the Challenger will be their new halo car, it is more affordable, so simply have Dodge and Dodge truck, with the R/T versions belonging to Dodge, and limit the Nitro to the R/T version.

And Oh, yeah lose the Compass, and if they must keep the Patriot, beef it up with a lift and 31 inch tires, but I would much rather see the Willys concept built as their entry level car, and price it to compete with Scion.

Besides pickup trucks, Dodge's new "face" will be the long-awaited Challenger... they hope... It will have engine choices from a base 3.5L-V6 to the new 5.7L-380HP VCT HEMI to the SRT8-425HP HEMI. Also, a special drag-race only edition will be available (~800# lighter --see Allpar.com for info!) And maybe, eventually, the 6.4L-520+HP HEMI if we "ask" nicely.

Oh yeah, all will be available with a stick. As long as there's no General Lee DoH numbers on the side, what's not to like?

Now, so much for Dodge. Where's the fr!gg!n' JT and engine options for the JKs?

sooo...whats the point of dodge again? chrysler is gonna keep the town and country, jeep is gonna keep the liberty and dodge is gonna go bye bye (about time) i mean its not like they sell a mopar 440 anymore.

and another thing i dont get because you always hear the excuse that dodge will build the trucks so that means jeep cant. look at gm, they got chevy, gmc and now a hummer pickups, why cant jeep.
i need a "new" j10/20

I hate to see Chrysler have to cut a lot of models but, thanks to Daimler it will have to so that it can survive. Personally I like the Liberty better than the Nitro and I think Jeep needs to go back to just 3 models Wrangler, Liberty and Grand Cherokee. I know that if you cut both the Patriot and the Compass you lose the mpg leaders of the brand but, if they would make diesels available across the Jeep line thay could make up some of that lose in the CAFE numbers. For those who want to see the JT or the Gladitor that would still be possible under the Wrangler model. My biggest concern with Chrysler as a whole is that the new owners will lose patience and sell pieces or the whole thing to China or India. I have not bought a new Chrysler product since the germans took over but, as long as a US company has control they are back in the mix.

Well, there are certainly onto something with the Nitro/Liberty. In the long run, who's going to buy a spayed/neutered Jeep with an ugly Dodge grill?

The Liberty is a far better vehicle in my opinion and I think they're dedicated to keeping it. As mentioned, it's got history for one and for two, it got the overhaul that people have been asking for since its inception. The Nitro seems like an attempt by Chrysler to sqeeze as many vehicles as they can out of as many platforms as possible.

If they're interested in maximizing the potential of their vehicle platforms they could, instead, use those parts, time and labor on building, say... a Jeep pickup or two.


Just a thought...

I'm confused. I understand the Nitro and the need for maybe it to go away but what is the Journey then? They say Dodge needs a small crossover. Isn't the Journey a crossover? It looks like a cross between a station wagon, SUV and minivan.

Ahhhh... relief. Back to the good ol' days when 'Jeep' was a four wheel drive brand and actually meant something.