May 21, 2015—On Tuesday, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne announced that the company has decided against building an all-aluminum Jeep Wrangler.
Though some aluminum will still be used in place of steel to cut weight from the vehicle, Marchionne stated that the cost of doing the entire vehicle in aluminum outweigh the benefits.
This decision could help keep the production of the automobile in Toledo, Ohio. The possibility of Toledo losing the production of the Wrangler, which it has produced for most of the last 70 years, first came up when Marchionne said the company was considering aluminum for the next generation of vehicle back in October. With that now off the table, Toledo now seems like the frontrunner for production.
Even with the recent announcement, Marchionne did say that the company is still examining “at least two” sites, one of which is Toledo. The city of Toledo has assembled an incentive package aimed at convincing Fiat Chrysler to keep production here.
The next generation of Wrangler is due out in 2017. Marchionne has said the decision will be made sometime in the next couple months.
