• News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
  • News
  • Guides
  • Reviews
  • Media
  • About
Sign up Now (For Free)

Sign up for our newsletter and receive the latest automotive news in your inbox!

Invalid email address
We promise not to spam you. You can unsubscribe at any time.
Thanks for subscribing!
News
Read Now
  • All News
  • Automakers
  • Automobiles
  • Auto Shows
  • Business
  • EVs & Environment
  • Guides
  • Lawsuits/Legal
  • Regulatory
  • Ride-Sharing
  • Safety & Recalls
  • Technology
Recent
  • Sen. Manchin Threatening to Sue Over New EV Battery Rules
  • Ford Bolsters EV Supply Chain with $4.5B Nickel Processing Plant
  • Unified UAW Talks Tough Before Contract Talks with Detroit Three
  • Faraday Future May Have One: Production Begins
  • Automakers Face “New Era of EV Price Wars”
  • Revuelto Ushers in New Era for Lamborghini
  • New Vehicle Sales Edging Toward Some Normalcy in Q1
  • How Fast Can a Tesla Model 3 Be Hacked? Two Minutes
  • First Look: Kia Pushes Boundaries with New EV9
  • Lucid Moves to Cut 1,300 Employees
Editor’s Choice
    Reviews
    Read Now
    • All Reviews
      • Feeder
    • Classic Cars
    • Concept Cars
    • Convertibles
    • Coupes
    • Crossovers/CUVs
    • Diesel
    • Hot hatches
    • Hybrids
    • Luxury Vehicles
    • Minivans
    • Muscle Cars
    • Pickups
    • Sedans
    • Sports Cars
    • Super Cars
    • SUVs
    Recent Reviews
    • A Week With: 2023 Kia Soul GT-Line
    • A Week With: 2023 Ford Maverick Tremor
    • A Week With: 2023 Volkswagen ID.4 AWD Pro S
    • A Week With: 2023 Infiniti QX80
    • A Week With: 2023 Genesis GV80 Prestige 3.5 Turbo
    • First Drive: 2024 Dodge Hornet R/T
    • First Drive: 2023 Dodge Hornet GT
    • First Drive: 2023 Genesis Electrified GV70
    • First Drive: 2023 Nissan Ariya e-4orce AWD
    • A Week With: 2023 Jeep Compass Limited
    Editor’s Choice
      Guides
      Car Warranty
      • Endurance Warranty Reviews
      • BMW Extended Warranty
      • Extended Warranty For Cars Over 100k Miles
      • Extended Car Warranty Cost
      • Subaru Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Reviews
      • CarShield Cost
      • Aftermarket Car Warranty
      • CARCHEX Warranty Reviews
      • Reputable Extended Car Warranty Companies
      • Used Car Warranty Companies
      • Best Car Warranty
      • Is CarShield A Scam?
      • Mercedes Extended Warranty
      • CarShield Plans
      Insurance
      • How To Identify A Car Insurance Company
      • Geico Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • How Far Back Does A Car Insurance Company Look
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance For Used Cars
      • State Farm Mechanical Breakdown Insurance
      • Mechanical Breakdown Insurance From Progressive
      • Dollar A Day Insurance
      • Auto Insurance For SSI Recipients
      • Car Insurance Rates After A Suspended License
      • Auto Insurance For Salvage Vehicles
      • Average Cost of Dodge Ram 1500 Car Insurance
      • Car Insurance Florida
      • Full Coverage Auto Insurance
      • GrubHub Insurance
      • Amazon Delivery Auto Insurance
      Shipping
      • Car Shipping Companies
      • uShip Reviews
      • Auto Shipping From California To Hawaii
      • Montway Auto Transport Reviews
      • Cheap Car Shipping
      • Easy Auto Ship Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Miami
      • Auto Shipping To Alaska
      • Car Shipping Cost
      • Auto Shipping Hawaii
      • Auto Shipping Puerto Rico
      • Sherpa Auto Transport Reviews
      • Auto Shipping Atlanta
      • Auto Shipping Boston
      • Auto Shipping. Chicago
      About
      • About Us
      • Contact Us
      • Terms of Use
      • Privacy Policy
      • Affiliate Disclosure
      • Sitemap
      TheDetroitBureau.com

      More than just “another” place to find news, reviews, spy shots, commentary, features, and guides about the auto industry. TheDetroitBureau doesn’t stop with the press releases or confuse a few lines of opinion with insightful, in-depth reporting.

      Contact Us

      Like what you see? Have some ideas for making The Detroit Bureau.com even better? Let us know, we’d love to hear your voice.

        Media
        Listen Now
        • Headlight News: All Episodes
        More from TheDetroitBureau
        • Guides
        • Latest News
        • Auto Reviews
        • Podcasts
        Headlight News

        TheDetroitBureau.com’s Headlight News offers a look at the past week’s top automotive news stories, as well as what’s coming up in the week ahead. Check out the week’s top story and our latest review…along with a dive into the past with this week in automotive history.

        home > news > Automakers > Jeep Launching New “Premium” Sub-Brand With Wagoneer

        Jeep Launching New “Premium” Sub-Brand With Wagoneer

        More products to follow as Jeep borrows from Land Rover/Range Rover strategy.

        Paul A. Eisenstein
        Paul A. Eisenstein , Publisher & Editor-in-Chief
        Aug. 13, 2021

        With the launch of its 2022 Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models, Jeep is doing more than just targeting buyers asking for larger and more luxurious SUVs. It’s also laying the foundation for what will become an entirely new “premium” sub-brand.

        2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer navy front
        The legend is back for 2022. The Grand Wagoneer returns to the Jeep line-up after more than three decades away.

        As TheDetroitBureau.com discovered during a daylong drive of the two new models, there’s a complete absence of Jeep badging on the two new, three-row offerings. Instead, they are boldly emblazoned either Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer, front and back, as well as on their steering wheels. Going forward, “Wagoneer” will morph into a distinctive sub-brand, much as Range Rover has for its parent, Land Rover.

        And, much like what the British automaker has done, we can expect to see still more products follow, specifically designed for the Wagoneer sub-brand, Rachel Fellrath, senior marketing manager for the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, said in an exclusive interview.

        “Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are establishing a sub-brand” that will be called “Wagoneer,” said Fellrath. “There are currently two models. The idea is we get a portfolio of products in the future.”

        Hit-or-miss

        2022 Jeep Grand Wagoneer seats
        All-new 2022 Grand Wagoneer interior is comparable to luxury offerings from Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz and others.

        The idea of creating a sub-brand is not unique, as one can see with a key Jeep competitor. “Think of it like Range Rover which has (added) models like Evoq and Velar” to its original Range Rover and Range Rover Sport SUVs, said Fellrath. That’s not to say Jeep is copying what the British SUV brand did, but it can clearly see the pay-off.

        Several other manufacturers are taking a similar strategy, including another direct Jeep competitor. Ford is positioning Bronco as a sub-brand and, along with the small Bronco Sport and larger Bronco models, it has confirmed more products are coming. That’s widely expected to include an off-road-oriented pickup to challenge the Jeep Gladiator.

        BMW created its “i” division for its electric vehicles and Mercedes-Benz is setting up a cluster of sub-brands. There’s Mercedes-Maybach for its most exclusive products, Mercedes-AMG for its most sporty models, and Mercedes-EQ for its rapidly growing line-up of all-electric models, like the big EQS sedan that just went into production.

        2021 Range Rover Sport HSE Silver
        The Range Rover Sport HSE Silver is a prime example of Land Rover’s move to make Range Rover a sub-brand.

        “Having a premium Jeep sub-brand makes sense,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal auto analyst with IHS Markit, “but it depends on how it fleshes out over time.”

        While the Mercedes and Land Rover efforts appear to be paying off, there have been some notable failures, such as Chevrolet’s short-lived Geo unit. After an initial success, declining demand convinced Toyota to abandon its Scion operation in 2016. Hyundai, meanwhile, first nudged into the luxury market with its original Genesis sedan, attempting to sell it as a brand extension before deciding to spin it off into an entirely independent brand.

        Plenty of challenges

        “Jeep is already a somewhat premium brand in its space,” said Brinley, so it will require a careful strategy to justify creating a new sub-brand while making sure it doesn’t damage the image of its existing product lines.

        2016 Scion iM blue front
        Not all sub-brands are successful. Toyota killed Scion in 2016, merging some of the vehicles, like the iM, into the maker’s mainstream line-up.

        That’s clearly part of the challenge, said Fellrath and other Jeep officials, noting they are now in the midst of laying out strategy and exploring product opportunities for Wagoneer.

        Future models will pick up on some of the design cues introduced with the two new 3-row SUVs, including vertical exterior pillars and tall windows, as well as their emphasis on technology. The Grand Wagoneer, for example, offers a large video screen for the front passenger, as well as the first automotive application for the audiophile gear manufacturer McIntosh.

        “Whatever we do,” said Fellrath, additional models “will have to be premium.”

        No rush

        Considering the direction taken by Jeep’s parent, the newly formed Stellantis, several insiders broadly suggested future products will be electrified — though whether that will mean hybrid, plug-in hybrid or full battery-electric technology is currently part of the discussion.

        One thing certain, don’t expect to see additional Wagoneer models right away, said Fellrath, explaining, “The Grand Wagoneer needs space to define itself before adding more products.”

        But the process of setting up Wagoneer as its own brand will begin in the months ahead as Jeep rolls out an aggressive new marketing campaign that will be notably void of reference to the name, “Jeep.”

        How to Care for Your Car

        Cheap Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice

        Best Extended Car Warranty

        Editor's Choice
        Recently Published
        2024 Dodge Hornet R/T blue charger REL

        Sen. Manchin Threatening to Sue Over New EV Battery Rules

        Yesterday
        Ford battery module

        Ford Bolsters EV Supply Chain with $4.5B Nickel Processing Plant

        Yesterday
        UAW President Fain at bargaining convention 2023

        Unified UAW Talks Tough Before Contract Talks with Detroit Three

        Yesterday

        Leave a Reply Cancel reply

        Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

        Share this article:
        © The Detroit Bureau 2023
        • Guides
        • Privacy Policy
        • Terms of Use
        • Affiliate Disclosure
        • Contact Us
        • Sitemap
        Follow Us: