[HighRider]

FCA is almost $7 billion in net debt and the brands under them that are seeing an increase in sales in 2016 compared to 2015 is Jeep (926,376 units / 6.13 percent), and Ram Truck (545,861 units / 11.13 percent). These two brands are FCA's money cows so I'm expecting them to throw more money towards the upcoming Wrangler's development and fine tuning.

Maybe we'll see more standard features to entice people to go for the Wrangler JL, $7 billion debt is pretty sizable and Jeep seems to be the best option to dig them out of it.

 

[gladiator]

All Jeep needs to do is work in enough technology to pull in younger buyers and they're already doing that. It's a simple game for them, stick to the basics and upgrade enough to stay relevant in the game and do just enough to pull in certain types of buyers.

It's going to be hard to dethrone the Wrangler.

 

[Gina]

Jeep should just make the Connectivity Group standard in all of the trims to bring in younger buyers. Standard Uconnect Voice Command with Bluetooth would go a long way.

 

[gladiator]

FCA's new UConnect system addresses a lot of things going on in the market currently that resonates with the current market of buyers.

They're even taking it a step further by getting Google involved which could very well put them at the top of infotainment systems offered:

 

[Mangler]

Thought I read earlier that the debt was down to somewhere in the $5 billion range but nonetheless. Jeep has always been one of their main money makers consistently. Sales are already well as it is so there isn't much need to try and implement much more new tech into it. If they just bump it up slightly like they do all the time, they'll be good to go.

 

[HighRider]

Jeep would sell even more vehicles if they can get their reliability ratings up. Their vehicles are known to be great for all types of terrain and they're also known for not being very reliable over time. That could be holding some buyers back, but if they can make potential buyers more confident in their new Wrangler Jl, then they'll do even better.

 

[Johnson]

I think that's what they're trying to do, when Manley was talking about it, he addressed that specifically and said that the JL would resolve every issue that the JKs had and what not. Trying to emphasize that this will be much better and stronger with far less issues.

 

[Gina]

I can't wrench to save my life so a more reliable Wrangler would be great for me as those garage bills can pile up. There were more reports about the 2016 Wrangler transmission than anything else, so that should be fixed.

 

[HighRider]

They're not all bad, some Jeeps can last years upon years without any major problems aside from the usual wear and tear. Then you hear about the lemons more often because those stories makes the news. I'm sure the Wrangler JL will sell just fine even if Jeep doesn't boast about improved build quality for reliability purposes.

 

[gladiator]

With a lot of vehicles as long as you do the maintenance when scheduled you'll be in that position to have a reliable vehicle. But often going beyond what the manual states and expanding your knowledge on vehicles entirely will start making you proactive. Easier to detect issues earlier when you know what to look for.

The problem is most people forget and don't follow the schedule.

 

[HighRider]

Agreed, it's all about proper maintenance when it comes to a vehicle's longevity. The reliability thing is more about problems that may crop up in a new vehicle around the first year or so. But proper cleaning and maintenance will make the average car last longer.

 

[gladiator]

Also, since we're dealing with a new vehicle here, what you do initially factors in as well. Over the years i have noticed less of a need for a strict break in process, if that's the case we won't have anything to think about aside from not driving like an idiot. If we do, then it will be the typical criteria we follow leading up to the first oil change and maybe even the 2nd if you want to play it extra safe.

 

[Mangler]

Some people go as far as to send out their oil from their oil changes to a lab to get inspected and track the progress of it to see what's going on internally. That's playing super extra safe

 

[gladiator]

Too much work for me and for most people, in my case i'm a short term buyer and whatever negative impact i experience just doesn't happen to an extent I would care about.

But this being a Wrangler there's a certain level of loyalty going on that will eventually see to it that this happens. I bet the JK guys have done it.