Jeep Wrangler & Fiat Cronos: the continuity in changing times

The latest arrivals to FCA’s current range confirm that the company aims to keep its leadership in key segments of two of its most important markets. The all-new Jeep Wrangler and the new Fiat Cronos correspond to FCA’s strategy of playing in the segments where it is strong. It is certainly a good thing to focus its few resources on what it does better.

Along with the Fiat 500, the Wrangler is the other iconic car of the automaker. It is a popular nameplate among American drivers and the most popular symbol of FCA’s most popular brand. Even if it is quite a rare thing to see in the roads of Europe, China or Brazil, the Wrangler is the greatest exponent of the wild, off-road and real SUV capabilities side of Jeep brand.

For the sake of the brand, the all-new Wrangler keeps the main attributes of the current one, and respects its values. It is more an evolution that is expected to continue the legacy of the nameplate. It looks good and more modern but at the same time it is still the boxy Jeep that seduces many drivers in USA and Canada. What to expect? nothing different from what we see with the current generation. More than a driver of growth, the new Wrangler is an good-image keeper that will enable Jeep to continue its global expansion.

Going south in the continent, the Fiat Cronos is also an important launch for FCA. It is the sedan version of the new Argo, the B-Segment hatchback introduced in May 2017. Both cars have the tough task of replacing the successful Palio and Siena, which were discontinued last month. The Cronos is an attractive subcompact sedan for Brazil and Argentina, which is set to keep the presence of Fiat in the popular Brazilian B-Segment. It features better quality than the aged Siena, but also must face tougher competition from the all-new Volkswagen Virtus, the popular Chevrolet Prisma and the Hyundai HB20S.

Both cars have the right things to keep FCA playing the important role in their respective segments. They are both key models in USA and Brazil, two of the three most important markets for the automaker. They feature fresh designs and meet the needs of the consumers of their respective segments. But none of them will help FCA to increase its sales volume. None of them will shake the market, and only the Jeep has the advantage of playing in the SUV segment, the world’s main driver of growth.