Jeep to ramp up Wrangler production, overlapped with next generation

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is reportedly preparing to ramp up Jeep Wrangler production ahead of the next-generation model‘s arrival.

The company’s Toledo assembly plant is expected to increase output by approximately 50 percent, building around 350,000 units annually, according to internal documents reviewed by Automotive News.

Notably, the factory reconfiguration is expected to allow FCA to continue building the current JK-chassis Wrangler into 2018 — six months after the next-gen off-roader begins rolling off the Cherokee’s current assembly line. The Cherokee, meanwhile, will be headed to an assembly plant in Illinois.

Jeep brand sales are up by 19 percent for the first two months of the year, maintaining years of growth momentum. The Wrangler is the only model in the red for the year, with deliveries down by a modest two percent so far, however the iconic nameplate achieved a 16-percent gain for 2015 overall.

The company appears to anticipate ongoing demand for the current Wrangler, which is expected to be sold as the ‘Wrangler Classic’ through early 2018.

The new Wrangler will be offered in several different configurations, including a hybrid variant and a pickup body style. A diesel powertrain will also join the family at a later date.