 Jeep Compass, "A Sad Little Car"??? |
USAToday.com is running an article about the possibility of the Compass and Patriot diluting the Jeep brand to the point where the resale value of Jeeps may suffer.
If Jeep's image suffers, the average value of used Jeeps could slip from the current above-average 47% of the new price after three years to a well-below-average 42% or 43%, according to data from Automotive Lease Guide, a leading forecaster. "This could be a very interesting test" of how far the Jeep image stretches, says ALG President Raj Sundaram.
"The Jeeplets are going to start chipping away at the image," warns John Wolkonowicz, senior analyst at Global Automotive Group. "I'm very concerned about the Compass in particular. It's a sad little car."
Because they could boost sales and attract new buyers, Compass and Patriot could be "a brilliant move — if the product follows through on Jeep's theme of capability," says Dan Gorrell, vice president at Strategic Vision, a research and consulting company.
Check the out the entire article - it includes a quote from a member of the Midwest Jeepthing club.
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| RUBICON | Posted: 2006/3/23 15:04 Updated: 2006/3/23 15:04 |
Home away from home   Joined: 2005/7/13 From: Chandler, AZ Posts: 357 |
 Re: Jeep Compass, "A Sad Little Car"???I think the Compass would be great with a new bumper and some off-road goodies like this Volvo:
http://www.autoblog.com/2005/11/01/xc70-at-one-of-two-volvo-concepts-to-bow-at-sema/ |
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| Brian_R | Posted: 2006/3/22 14:45 Updated: 2006/3/22 14:45 |
Quite a regular  Joined: 2005/11/28 From: Posts: 43 |
Re: Jeep Compass, "A Sad Little Car"???But if either new model is "perceived by consumers as a thinly disguised Caliber, it will not do well." I think the perception is fact on this one before it's out of the gate (Caliber and Compass). I think the Patriot looks like such a diversion of the platform that only auto fans would read / learn enough to know that it platform shares with the Caliber. |
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| MarkH | Posted: 2006/3/22 8:00 Updated: 2006/3/22 8:00 |
Home away from home Joined: 2005/7/20 From: The Great White North Posts: 406 |
Re: Jeep Compass, "A Sad Little Car"??? Through its history, there have been some Jeeps & Willys that were, let's say, "less capable" off-roaders --2WD versions. As long as the new Wrangler remains TRUE to its rough & tumble heritage, I think the Jeep image will remain intact. So, not only is there room for a Compass and a Patriot, but how about a Scrambler (Gladiator), a new larger Comanche pick-up, and a few optional Hemis?
As a follow-on to all the old 2WD DJ5's (dispatch jeeps) used in the US Postal Service, how about a new fleet of white Jeep Patriots for rural mail delivery service? Are you listening Uncle Sam? Now that would be some serious sales numbers!  |
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