A few days ago, Jeep Wrangler Heights Bahamas Beach Powder Special Edition opened online pre-sale, limited to 180 units, attracting the attention of the industry and consumers. This is actually not the first time Wrangler launched a color special edition, at the end of last year, Jeep had launched the Alaska Aurora Green Special Edition, pre-sale results were remarkable, at the Guangzhou Auto Show, the brand side had said that more "explosive" models will be launched in the future, four months later, Jeep announced that color will become one of the synonyms of the Wrangler model in the new year.
Jeep's development in China in recent years has been questioned. Two years ago, the black swan event of the new crown epidemic made the booming Chinese automobile industry "quick-frozen" overnight, and although the epidemic situation improved in 2021, unfavorable factors such as the chip crisis and the continuous high price of raw materials still dragged down the recovery of the automobile market. Whether it is a traditional old car company or a new car-making force, it has been greatly impacted, and it is even worse for GAC FCA Jeep, which is already facing a decline in sales. This SUV brand, which is called an off-road totem in the minds of many people, is even linked to the "sales of crotch", especially the sales decline of domestic models produced by the joint venture company GAC FCA is quite obvious.
Is it really the end of the hero? Not necessarily, from the release of the special edition of Bahamas beach powder, and the previously announced that it will be introduced at the end of the first quarter of 2022, Jeep's gladiator pickup model, we can at least see that the brand has not given up the Chinese market and boosted market confidence through continuous product actions.
There are also voices that imported models such as the Wrangler can still support the face of the Jeep brand off-road pioneers, but domestic models are already in decline. In terms of domestic models, GAC FCA Jeep launched the new commander and the new commander plug-in hybrid model at the Chengdu Auto Show last year, which has been well received by many people in the industry, and many evaluators have given "good materials", "full of sincerity" and evaluation of the space, powertrain and exterior interior of this model, and even gave the comment of "better than Highlander", but it may be because the market has always held a wait-and-see attitude towards the prospects of the Jeep brand in China. The current marketing model did not reach the audience accurately and widely, resulting in the sales of this well-rated model that matched its strength.
In this regard, the brand side should also have awareness, so it has also made many adjustments in management, operation and other aspects since last year. Responsible for the Jeep brand operation in China GAC FCA, since the second half of last year, the organizational structure integration and synergy has been continuously strengthened, the management has mentioned many times, the company's organizational structure and cost structure is gradually improving, profit will become the main business goal, in addition to frankly admitting in the interview, Jeep has deviated from the positioning of the Chinese market before, for the urbanization of the pandering deviated from the brand's most core off-road DNA, the future plan through a variety of market actions to correct the course, return to the off-road gene, Whether it is domestic or imported models, it faces consumers with a unified image.
The "bold axe" in operational and strategic reforms also demonstrates the determination of the Jeep brand to regroup. Since the second half of last year, Jeep products have moved quite frequently, from the new big commander, to the Wrangler Highlands Aurora Green that was "snapped up", to the medium-sized pickup gladiator who is about to land in the Chinese market, we can see that a Jeep brand with a clear spiritual core is returning. This is also in line with current consumer trends. In recent years, self-driving camping, outdoor off-road and other leisure methods have frequently appeared in the circle of friends of urban people, driving the rapid growth of the mainland off-road consumer market, and the Jeep brand has been deeply cultivated in this subdivision track for many years, and the professional image of "hardcore off-road" has taken the consumer's mind one step ahead. In this regard, the advantages and tone of the Jeep brand can meet the new travel needs of Chinese consumers at present, and it is possible to harvest a wave of "new consumption" dividends in the future.
According to the official, the Jeep brand will usher in the product year in 2022, in addition to the Wrangler special edition model, medium-sized pickup gladiator, it is expected to launch more special edition models, in terms of electrification, the management has repeatedly emphasized the "fully tie-in" plan in major activities in 2025, in addition to the Wrangler 4xe and the new big commander e, more Jeep star models or will be the first "electric shock" this year, may bring new excitement to off-road enthusiasts.
The 81-year glorious history has given the Jeep brand countless glory, and the strategic deviation of converging on urbanization in recent years has indeed made it "invisible" for a time. The beginning of 2022 is not friendly to Jeep, but hitting the bottom is not a new starting point, this brand that came out in the smoke of World War II, has an endogenous energy, the car built is so, the brand development is also the same, I believe that as long as this momentum is there, the headwind is only a matter of time.