The Jeep brand must not be devalued by less-rugged vehicles that don't live up to Jeep's off-road image, Jim Press, Chrysler LLC vice-chairman and president, told a roomful of auto writers yesterday.

"We need to keep it a genuine Jeep image, we can't dilute it by trying to sell out the volume of the brand on 'faux' Jeeps. We want to return to our roots and have trail-rated authentic Jeeps that have value," Mr. Press said during a speech here to members of the Automobile Press Association.

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Commenting further on Jeep, Mr. Press said, "Our customers are passionate about their vehicles," adding that many Jeep enthusiasts have the brand name tattooed on their bodies.

"There's a loyal owner body, and it's not only here, it's international. We don't really have an international market coverage. Not only could we expand Jeep and make it a deeper, richer, truer product, we don't have to really worry about volume."

"The global opportunity for Jeep is tremendous," he said.