Thank you GoNsnow...

I agree with the article, Chrysler needs to become JEEP, Inc.

But a name change is not enough...Here's what I think needs to be done.

1. Trim (Expand) the line to the following.
Jeep Wrangler 2 door
Wrangler 4 door Unlimited
Wrangler JT Pickup. 2 seat Pickup/5 seat Scrambler
Gladiator Pickup (RAM) 5 seat extended cab Pickup
Patriot
Liberty (Rename it Cherokee)

2. Drop the Compass in favor of a WILLYS-type convertible 4 cyl 4x4 or Butch it up enough to compete with other cars like it (Subaru WRX, Mitsu EVO)

3. All vehicles must have a Start-Stop Hybrid system (at minimum), all V-6 and V-8 engines must have Cylinder De-Activation, all gas engines must be E-85 compatible. All Diesel engines must be B-100 (100% Biodiesel) compatible.

4 The Wrangler EV must be built, as a start.

5. An all-electric Halo car must be built, i.e. Dodge EV concept car.

6. A concerted and accelerated effort needs to be made to move the entire fleet to plug-in hybrid powertrains, wheel-in-hub drivetrains, and eventually Reformer fuel cell powertrains (See #7)

7.Eventually, the engine and transmission needs to be eliminated, I know it sounds crazy, but with the instability of the Oil industry, we as a country will need to replace the projected 8% per year decreased oil production with another power source.

In my opinion, Jeep needs to lead the industry with replacing the engine with the Reformer Fuel Cell, which will reform any combustible fuel into Hydrogen, to be converted into electric power in a Fuel Cell.

The Jeep of the future, much like the Wrangler EV, will have a battery pack, but smaller than the EV concept. In it's place, in addition to the standard fuel tank, will be a small Hydrogen storage tank, which is in effect a one-way battery. That will allow the driver to generate Hydrogen at home, fill the tank, and drive the car using hydrogen power before burning Ethanol, or Gasoline.

The powertrain will be in-wheel hub motors, plain and simple...no gearing, no u-joints, no splines, no pumpkins...If a motor fails, there are three more to get you home, and the dealer will save time and expenses fulfilling the warranty by simply changing a motor, a little more involved than a tire change.

I like it. Yea, the all new Jeep Challenger. Why not? Dodge already shot themselves in the foot when they released it initially as an automatic only! (To say nothing about the fact that they turned a pony car into a gunship.) But, why not go the extra mile and make it 4 wheel drive? I can picture them now screaming down the drag strip with all 4 tires lit up! There must be a nitch market for that.

Chrysler name probably should be dropped. The "Chrysler" products just don't have enough draw.
The Dodge name is strong, especial the Ram. If they wanted to win the pickup segment they should cut the legs off the competition by dropping price on the Cummins.
Jeep name was hurt by the Compass. Patriot looks more acceptable, but as we know it's the same as the Compass. Maximizing on market by developing different products on a proven platform the JK series should be brought into production as a mid-size pickup and include some creative transformer-like features. Additionally Jeep should aggressivly pursue the military contracts with the J8.
Lastly bringing the Jeep EV to showrooms will single-handedly save the . . . day.

Hmmm....
Then the Jeep Gladiator could come to fruition, based off the Dakota platform...
And Jeep could reestablish its J-series pickups, based off the Dodge Ram platform...

Heck, gas is cheap now, let's go for it before the prices go up again!

Just more ignorant speculation from armchair Chrysler-haters. We've been getting a steady stream of credible inside info on <a href=http://www.allpar.com/model/upcoming.html>upcoming Chrysler and Dodge cars and trucks</a> and believe me, dropping the brands isn't there. Though I personally think they'd be better off focusing on Dodge and Jeep; I (again personally) think the name "Chrysler" is too far associated with bailouts and failure.

FTA: "Dodge SUVs like the Durango and the Journey could survive just as well if they were Jeeps."

Oh dear god no. Talk about watering down the brand?

Though I do like the idea of the Ram becoming a Jeep, but only if it's heavily facelifted to look like a Jeep.