So much attention is given to the Jeep and Mopar concept vehicles we see each year at the Easter Jeep Safari, and for good reason. These rigs aren’t built to collect dust on a tradeshow floor – they’re built to be run on the trail and to test new product.
Not to get lost in the excitement of the concept vehicles, but one bit of noteworthy news that could easily get lost in the shuffle is updates to the Jeep Performance Parts line, which is something that ties in directly with the concept vehicles themselves. This year’s Jeep/Mopar concept rigs showcase a number of parts in the Jeep Performance Parts line as well as some that the Mopar team plans to offers soon (with a few others on its wish list).
Mopar Brand President and CEO Pietro Gorlier addressed the media at Easter Jeep Safari, explaining Mopar’s push of its JPP line and how it will be implemented for consumers. As he noted, the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee are consistently among the top five most modified vehicles throughout the world, so the team is working hard to offer more parts for Jeep buyers, more options for their installation and financing, and a more personalized experience overall.
“First of all we launched the Jeep Performance Parts portfolio,” Gorlier explained to the media at the start of the week during Easter Jeep Safari. “This is a portfolio of products that is specifically designed to fit the Jeep, and specifically the Wrangler.
Gorlier went on to explain that the parts they plan to offer, including the 2-inch lift kit shown in the crate image and featured on a few of the concept Jeeps which should be available in May, will be designed to work seamlessly with the production vehicle, making the installation and upgrade as straightforward as possible.
“We are working to make that lift kit compliant with production so that we will be able in the future to offer that lift kit directly from our custom shops,” he said. “As you may know we have custom shops nearby all of our plants, particularly the one in Toledo that is fitting Wranglers, [which] has processed last year 20,000 vehicles, so it means that we take the vehicle from the plant, we bring in our custom shop, we outfit it with different packages, and we offer to the customers with the same warranty with the vehicle, allowing better residual value with the car and giving the customer the opportunity to get financing based on the value of the vehicle plus the accessories.”
The option for consumers to purchase a vehicle, upgrade it with aftermarket parts, and then get financing based upon the vehicle price and the parts makes for a great opportunity for Jeep enthusiasts who’d like a turnkey off-road vehicle right off the showroom floor. Gorlier also explained that Mopar is looking to enhance the experience of purchasing parts for the consumer, which is exemplified with the use of its JPP crates for the shipping of the parts.
“The reason why there are crates is because we want to give our Jeep customer the experience of buying the parts, taking it home and outfitting the vehicle,” Gorlier explained. “Not by chance, the reason why there is a crate in that Wrangler is to show you we designed the crate to fit in the back of a Wrangler. So it’s a little detail but really it’s to offer the possibility to have the experience of going to buy something, and also I’m pretty sure that these crates will not be destroyed after, but they will become a coffee table or something else for the Jeep enthusiast.”
Mopar currently offers over 300 parts for the Wrangler in its JPP line, and a recent press release noted that now more than 100 parts are available for the Cherokee as well. The Mopar team hopes to add to those totals should some of the prototype parts found on the concept vehicles at Easter Jeep Safari get a positive response from the media and consumers. The 4-inch lift kit found on the Maximum Performance Wrangler is one such part that will probably be offered by Mopar in a few months, while the fender flares found on the Dakar Cherokee are a prototype that might see production if there’s a strong demand for it.
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Jeep Wrangler Maximum Performance