Americans’ Thirst for Jeep Wranglers May Be Quenched

Before summer started, dealerships had trouble keeping the Jeep Wrangler in stock as the off-roader became ultra-popular. That follows the general trend of Americans’ hot-and-heavy love affair with SUVs. But a recent report indicates Wranglers are sitting on dealer lots for an increasing amount of time, meaning dealer stock is soaring.

According to Automotive News, the average new Wrangler sits on a Jeep dealer’s lot for well beyond 100 days. This phenomena started suddenly in October. At the beginning of December, US FCA dealers held at 85,979 Jeep Wranglers. When October started, that number was 69,579.

What’s more, those numbers are easily double the stock of Wrangler JKs, or the previous generation. So what’s going on? There are a few theories. One is the price increase of the Wrangler JL is keeping buyers at bay. The $3,000-$4,000 jump surely pushes some shoppers away, who might go for the Compass, Cherokee, or even a non-Jeep SUV.

Another believable reason is the fact FCA has been pumping out more Jeep Wranglers than ever before. Sales of Wranglers are still strong, so perhaps the price increase isn’t really scaring shoppers away.

FCA’s proposed theory is that people don’t buy many Wranglers in the winter, just like with most cars. When spring rolls around we’ll see if that’s true or not.

Source: Automotive News