Mike Manley, head of Jeep and Ram, has hinted that Fiat Chrysler could build a new SUV based on the next generation Ram 1500 pickup due in 2018.
Manley told the Detroit Free Press, “You have the opportunity with a new frame for the next-generation Ram. You have the opportunity to take a large SUV off of it because we already have a very, very capable frame today that is going to be upgraded.”
Any new body on frame SUV won’t be badged as a Ram, though. FCA will use one of its other American brands (Dodge, Chrysler or Jeep) for the new SUV.
Last year GM sold around 200,000 of the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, GMC Yukon, and Cadillac Escalade SUVs, which are all based on its full size Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks.
Analysts believe that GM makes around US$10,000 on every Tahoe, Suburban, Yukon, and Escalade it sells.
FCA hasn’t built a body on frame SUV since the second generation Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen went out of production in 2009. Those cars were built on the smaller mid-size Dodge Dakota pickup.
Source: Detroit Free Press
