Wrangler production to leave Toledo?

In the face of ever-increasing fuel economy targets, Chrysler may be forced to move Wrangler production from its long-time home in Toledo, OH to a more advanced facility in order to incorporate lightweight materials.

The core of the issue is the Wrangler’s current body-on-frame construction, which appears to be incompatible with Chrysler’s goals of incorporating aluminum. It seems a move to aluminum also requires shifting from body-on-frame to unibody construction, a process for which Chrysler’s Toledo South Assembly Plant is not currently tooled.

According to Automotive News, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said, “If the solution is aluminum, then I think, unfortunately, that Toledo is the wrong place, the wrong setup to try and build a Wrangler because it requires a complete reconfiguring of the assets that would be cost-prohibitive.”

“It would be so outrageously expensive that it would be impossible to try and work out of that facility.”

Marchionne insisted that jobs would not be lost in the transition, however it is not clear how those personnel will be utilized if Wrangler assembly leaves Toledo. The inability to produce unibody vehicles will severely limit the potential for moving production of other vehicles to the site. Ram production was just recently expanded and could require additional capacity if sales continue to increase. As a body-on-frame pickup, it would be an excellent candidate for Toledo South.