Now the Fiat-Chrysler helmsman says that the future iteration of America’s scrappy, capable four-wheeler [], will be only partially constructed of the lightweight metal. Which means that it could be built in Toledo after all. Speaking to a group on Tuesday after receiving an SAE Foundation award, Marchionne explained, “There will be a large portion of that vehicle that will be aluminum. It will not be all aluminum.”
-According to Automotive News, the aluminum bits could include the hood, tailgate, and doors. “We’ve run the numbers and we’ve simulated mileage and the impact,” said Sergio. “Because of the difference in cost—not just of the material but the actual assembly process—I think we can do almost as well without doing it all-aluminum. I think we can get very close.”
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The next Wrangler will be lighter weight, although not as elemental as Jeep’s recent Staff Car concept.
The question then, in Marchionne’s eyes, is what constitutes “very close.” Whatever FCA is thinking is probably good enough for the notoriously conservative Wrangler fan base. In fact, they’d probably prefer it.
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