Did you know that one of the highest-selling vehicles in America – about 200k units sold each year – has never offered side curtain airbags or powered seats?
Jeep sold 181,400 Wranglers in 2022 alone making it the 15th best-selling vehicle in the United States. To put things in perspective, the entire Audi lineup sold 186,895 vehicles and Honda sold 154,612 Accords in 2022.
Thus, Jeep has sold an awful lot of vehicles without technology that’s been around for decades. This is all changing for the 2024 model year Wrangler which will finally offer side curtain airbags and power seats.
The refreshed version of the Wrangler made its New York Auto Show debut last week. Unsurprisingly, the iconic exterior, which harkens back to the Willys of 1941, remains. New York is the largest market for the Wrangler in the US. Originally the entry point to the Jeep lineup for many buyers, the Wrangler has changed substantially since its 1986 introduction.
Jeep boasts that 85% of all Wranglers produced since 1986 are still on the road. That's an impressive number. However, when you consider that Wrangler sales have skyrocketed in the last 10 years, a huge portion of the Wranglers still on the road are relatively recent models. From model years 2005 through 2022, Jeep has sold 2,774,875 Wranglers. Given that Jeep has sold 3.5 million Wranglers since 1986, that means that 80% of all Wranglers have been produced since 2005.
The Wrangler’s massive appeal and profitability led to Ford reintroducing their Bronco which finally gave the Wrangler its first true competitor. Not that Jeep was resting on its laurels, but the latest 4th-generation Wrangler JL debuted in 2018 meanwhile Ford is still playing catch up to meeting the Bronco demand from its model year 2021 introduction.
With its own dedicated Wrangler factory, Jeep has a production leg up on the Bronco which shares its site with the Ranger. However, despite this leg up – Jeep saw Wrangler sales drop by 25% in January as Bronco sales rose 25.5% year over year making a Wrangler refresh all the more crucial for Jeep to keep its grasp on the segment.
In addition to the availability of the aforementioned 12-way power seats and side curtain airbags, a 12.3-inch touchscreen is also available for 2024. The new Wrangler is also tested for up to 34 inches of water fording. Will these improvements be enough to fend off the bucking Bronco?
Jeep loyalty is a force to be reckoned with, so it won’t go down without a fight that’s as strong as its offroad capabilities. Fortunately for both Bronco and Wrangler, this segment is booming in popularity. With an updated Toyota 4Runner around the corner and more EV options on the way, things will only continue to get more interesting in the off-roading category.
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