There’s a report out today that attempts to answer some questions about how Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis are going to suddenly make cars in the United States together. In theory, Jeep and Land Rover overlap. In practice, they really don’t.
This morning has been dominated by pickup truck news, and The Morning Dump will add to that pile with details about the JLR-Stellantis tie-up and how it includes a truck. It’s been like 50 years since the United States got a legit new Land Rover truck, so this is fun news. If you love plug-in hybrids, it sounds like Volvo is going to give us the plug-in hybrids that we’ve long desired.
While Land Rover expands to the US for production, BYD is planning to build big trucks of its own in Europe. The expansion of China into Europe makes sense, though the building of Chinese cars over here has been the cause of a lot of debate. Would Americans even embrace a Chinese-designed car? If it’s the right car.
If Land Rover Is Going To Build A Truck In The US, Will The Grand Wagoneer Go Unibody?
Stellantis and JLR announced earlier this year that the two companies would do something, at some point, in the United States. While it was vague, the conversation was around the Defender brand, which is key to Land Rover’s future. I am extremely in the bag for every variant of the Defender, so this news is catnip to me.
One of my favorite quotes from the time was from Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, who bragged about how “the new trade condition” makes the company’s “installed capacity very attractive to many other competitors or potential partners.” In plain English: tariffs are making it so that companies need to build in the United States, and Stellantis has more capacity than it can really use given its middling sales prospects.
Back in May, I speculated that this could be some kind of American Defender built in Jeep’s Warren, Michigan facility, which currently builds the unloved Grand Wagoneer. Via Britain’s The Times, of all places, comes more info:
Jaguar Land Rover is to enter the $80 billion American pick-up truck market for the first time with a US version of its bestselling Defender model.
The UK’s biggest carmaker is expected to unveil the plans in the coming months as boss PB Balaji begins a fightback after cutting 4,000 jobs.
In a major strategic pivot for the quintessentially British brand, the Defender pick-up will be built in America through a new joint venture with Chrysler carmaker Stellantis.
Given the Chicken Tax of it all, that Land Rover would build a truck variant makes a lot of sense. The current Defender is assembled in Slovakia, which means it’ll fall under the EU’s tariff deal, whatever that happens to be at any given point. The image above is of the Heritage Customs Land Rover Defender, and while I don’t think the new truck will look exactly like this if it gets built, I do imagine a Defender truck has to be four doors.
This leads to two questions, which will answer the question in the headline.
- What engine will it have?
- What does Jeep get out of it?
The US Defender has used a mix of engines, but the big V8s have either been the old supercharged JLR engine or the newer BMW mill used in the X7. Importing an engine cuts against the tariff benefit, so let’s assume that’s not in the cards. Just to make things super complicated and messy, it could use the BMW V8, but that’s only assembled in the US, with parts coming from Europe.
A BMW engine also cuts against the answer to the second question. I think, given that the Grand Wagoneer is built in Warren, and that no one really likes the big SUV, it’s logical to guess that the next GW could be based on a Defender. That way, Stellantis can build a GW that people might actually buy and Land Rover can get a truck that it doesn’t have. S&P Global Mobility had a guess along these lines this week:
While it is still in the early stages, with only a memorandum of understanding signed so far, JLR has indicated that a positive outcome will lead to a Defender-brand product. Mobility Global sees this as being most likely a larger Defender ‘150’ model, based on a replacement of the Jeep Grand Wagoneer being most likely to meet the expectations of US buyers.
I think I buy the truck concept more, but this confirms with my sense that the Grand Wagoneer and Defender will have to share a platform for this to make sense. And what about a powertrain? The two brands could also co-develop a new V8 that works for both vehicles, likely based on the current Hemi V8. While V8s are having a bit of a comeback, who knows what a new administration might do, and it wouldn’t hurt either company to share development costs.
People aren’t cross-shopping Jeeps and Range Rovers, so as long as the two theoretical rivals stay in their own lane, it could work out for both of them. [Ed Note: I think the Grand Wagoneer should be more of a Kia Telluride rival; in my eyes, it needs to go downmarket to be successful. -DT].
Volvo Might Give Us The Good PHEVs
When I drove the S60 PHEV above, I argued that America needed more plug-in hybrids. While the S60 had decent range, the problem most PHEVs have is that they don’t quite offer enough miles off the battery. There have been rumors lately that the tweaked Volvo XC60 PHEV could offer as much as 70 miles of range.
Volvo held a call to talk about the future, and it looks like the future might hold even longer range PHEVs. Here’s Bloomberg on the details:
The Swedish manufacturer controlled by China’s Geely said Tuesday it’s launching its first long-range hybrids for the European and American markets as versions of the bestselling XC60 and XC90. The SUVs have more powerful batteries and a range as far as 200 kilometers (124 miles) and 160 kilometers respectively on a single charge.
Initially seen as a stepping stone to battery-only vehicles, plug-in hybrids are being given a much longer lease of life as drivers demand more electric power to help offset surging fuel prices. Charging networks also remain insufficient in many countries, slowing the transition to pure EVs.
“Five years ago, perhaps people thought electrification was a linear story: it would take four years, everything would look like Norway and then we’d be done by 2030,” Volvo Car Chief Commercial Officer Erik Severinson said in an interview.
This could still be a 70-miles XC60 if that 200 km is on the WLTP standard, though depending on which test, I do think the XC60 could offer as much as 100 miles of EPA range. That would be awesome.
BYD Wants To Be A ‘European Company’
This is the ETT 44 4×2 heavy-duty electric tractor, which offers up to 372 miles of range from a massive 651 kWh battery. It’ll also, eventually, going to be built in Europe according to BYD exec and photo model Stella Li.
“For the long term, we will produce everything we sell in Europe here locally,” said Stella Li, BYD’s executive vice president and head of international business.
[…]
“Once you move everything produced locally, it’s okay. We become a European company,” Li said.
It’s just that easy!
Would Americans Even Like Chinese Cars?
It’s been a busy week or so on the Chinese-Cars-In-The-US beat. First, Sec. of Transportation Sean Duffy blasted Ford for partnering with a Chinese company to make batteries. The White House immediately tried to walk that back, and President Trump surprised some over the weekend by stating he’d be fine with a Chinese company building Chinese-branded cars in the United States.
Would anyone buy one? That’s the question that the Center for Automotive Research tried to answer by having some people at a conference get into a Xioami YU7. As the Detroit Free Press reports, experience did help a little bit:
Before riding in the vehicle, the participants were asked to rate their interest in purchasing a Chinese branded car. They rated it on a scale of one to five, five being the most interested. The participants on average rated their interest at 1.92.
After riding in the vehicle, when asked to rate their interest in purchasing a Chinese branded car, the score rose to 2.68, a 40% increase, CAR reported.
Ford CEO Jim Farley loved his Xiaomi, so that’s not a big surprise.
What I’m Listening To While Writing TMD
If you’re a parent, you probably recognize Dove Cameron from roughly 9,000 Disney films. She’s also in the excellent Schmigadoon! television series. Her new song “When In Rome” is definitely for the adults.
The Big Question
How sick would a Defender pickup be? Who else should offer a pickup?
Top Photo: Heritage Customs
I could see the hurricane or something like it being used for land rover. They could also go to cumins to get an engine. Their us buyers probably aren’t so ate up with has to be a v8.
Detroit is probably the worst place in the country to do that test and still did well by showing the cars. In most US cities I bet it’s more like 50% and goes up to 80% or 90% after experiencing a Chinese car especially if they can keep prices down. Unions and American values plus a war in recent memory helped keep the Japanese from taking over in the 70s. Non of that exists at any level in the population centers anymore.
How Hyundai positions it’s cars and Kia in the US it makes more sense to have a Kia truck. Kia trucks are all ready all over Latin America. Plus other then Hyundai there really isn’t a US car brand branding class 8 trucks in the US anymore. VW could use a truck and a Van. I bet Porsche dealers could sell a pickup well. It would get a lot of people who don’t buy new Porsches very angry. Volvo / Geely should build the RD6 in the US.
“If only there was a truck with Stellantis quality and Land Rover reliability,” said no one ever.
guy down the street has an import Toyota land cruiser GRJ 79 I believe is what he said it is. Basically looks like a US spec T100 front with 4 doors and Kei style bed with fold down sides. I feel like this formula is not something often seen in the US and should be brought over by Toyota if they still exist. Regardless when Hyundai does the Landcruiser/Bronco fighter, they should include a pickup variant up front vs waiting until the last minute like the H3T and Jeep Gladiator. Also make them cheaper, not more expensive.
Maybe a Testla truck will sell….
oh sorry, wrong decade.
I would guess that if they stripped one down and reskinned them, they might sell better.
Musk should have embraced his Commonwealth redneck ways instead of his space redneck ways and built a ute.
Ineos already makes the superior LR Defender pickup.
Except they chose the stupidest axles for it, should have went with Dana 60s ffs
I think the clean Sheet Carrero’s were thought to be on par with 60’s, I had not heard of them being weak though? I do appreciate the POrtal upgrade part of the design.