The guys and gals at DaimlerChrysler haven't made an announcement yet, but according to sources within the United Auto Workers (UAW) and industry analysts, the size-16 shoebox on wheels from Jeep is on its way out.
The Commander will likely be nixed after the 2009 model year due slow sales and a high sticker. Competition between vehicles within the same brand is never a good thing, and it seems that the Commander may have cut into sales of Jeep's similarly sized 'ute, the Grand Cherokee.
Since Edmunds.com is claiming that potential buyers of the Commander were being offered up to $8,000 in incentives towards the end of 2006, the German-American hybrid may have seen the writing on the wall. Considering that the Commander has always been in a somewhat odd segment, falling between the Grand Cherokee and full-size SUVs, it would seem that this experimental niche was a gamble that didn't pay off.
[Source: Detroit News]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
indymcsc @ Jan 20th 2007 8:24AM
The other problem is it's horrible looking.
Avinash Machado @ Jan 20th 2007 8:40AM
While they are at it let them also phase out the Compass and Patriot as well. Both are a disgrace to the Jeep brand and heritage. Let Jeep concentrate on its core speciality namely Off-Road vehicles and leave the soft roaders to its sister brands Chrysler and Dodge.
Stuart @ Jan 20th 2007 8:58AM
That is about the same time the totally new Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen appear. I remember a quote a while back by a Chrysler exec saying the three should be tied together and proper full-size SUV's.
I just hope they don't all look the same as the GM counterparts. Jeep should always be unique.
bernie @ Jan 20th 2007 9:19AM
Thank goodness. The Commander was the answer to the question nobody ever asked.
Jeep needs to fire the product planners and cut their losses before one of the world's strongest brands takes a dump. Can you imagine Harley-Davidson producing a loser like this? I can't
JayP @ Jan 20th 2007 9:25AM
The point of the Commander was to get 3 rows of seating without ruining the styling of the Grand Cherokee.
ramsport47 @ Jan 20th 2007 9:40AM
all of these "they shouldn't ruin the Jeep heritage" people are probably the least likely to ever buy a Jeep. As the owner of a Jeep, I applaud DCX for trying to bring more people into the brand taht would otherwise head to Toyota or another asian maker...after all, they are in business to sell vehicles to as many people as they can...am I wrong? If you get someone into a Compass (the owners of which, absolutely love), and they're ready to move up...the next step is the Liberty, Grand Cherokee, etc. Peole who are buying a Compass KNOW that it is not an off road vehicle, hell, MOST of the off road capable Jeeps, don't go off road.
robert helfrick @ Jan 20th 2007 10:00AM
Maybe a diesel version would generate some interest,
eroc @ Jan 20th 2007 10:03AM
The Commander looks like a toaster oven on wheels. Its about as aerodynamic as my left nut
AZMike @ Jan 20th 2007 10:06AM
the killer for me concerning the Commander was that damn third row of "seats". like all SUVs, the third row is for children, nothing more. if you want comfort for real people, buy a FWD minivan. if they had made the third row optional on the Commander, I would have definitely bought one. even with the seats folded down, the load floor is very high, and awkward to use. it is also not flat all the way forward.
their original intent was to have the Commander styling help to heal the rift with many Cherokee (please note there is not the word "Grand" in front)owners who felt abandoned when the original smaller, square Cherokee was discontinued in 2001, and replaced with the "girl's Jeep", Liberty. the Commander had a few of the smaller Cherokee's styling cues on the outside (and none on the inside), but in my opinion, were carried out with a certain cartoonish quality. an interesting sidebar here is the fact that the Liberty is called the Cherokee in overseas export markets.
DCX better be careful here, diluting the Jeep brand with some of the products they have brought to market. the Compass have been a failure, too; a friend here in Arizona works at a large Chrysler/Dodge/Jeep dealer in the Phoenix area. since the Compass was introduced last year, they have sold exactly ONE.
leave the car-based SUVs and crossovers to Dodge and Chrysler; keep the Jeep brand for what it's always been.
Mike
ryan @ Jan 20th 2007 10:41AM
always great decisions...
why not build a big box on wheels. who wants a mid size diesel pickup like the gladiator. I certainly wouldn't want something like that...
Barney @ Jan 20th 2007 10:50AM
Like many manufacturers, DC is trying to cover every niche'. So many choices from the same company is thinning down the assembly lines. No wonder car companies are spending so much. More assembly lines with less going through them.
British_Rover @ Jan 20th 2007 10:53AM
If you want a capable off road vehicle with a good third Row get a LR3...
dna @ Jan 20th 2007 11:43AM
#4: The Commander is to Jeep what the V-Rod is to Harley...just wrong.
Bring back the Cherokee.
Robert @ Jan 20th 2007 11:57AM
I just test drove a Sport. At first I was not sure but after the test drive I kinda like it. The design is much better up close and looks rugged. It is loaded with features and was comfortable. The real question is there better cars in this segment? Yes there are, but with the incentives this might be a good option.
Rob
http://www.autoshortlist.com
Jaymez @ Jan 20th 2007 11:59AM
I like Commander, I just don't like the price. I looke at Jeeps last year and noticed every one of 'em, from the Wrangler on up, got the exact same mileage, according to the sticker.
As a fan of larger vehicles, I have to admit that the Commander looks freakin' huge. That may be simply because I've only seen them sitting next to Wranglers.
Howard Kerr @ Jan 20th 2007 12:23PM
What? DCX gives all those disaffected/forgotten Cherokee owners a SUPER-SIZED Cherokee...and no one buys it? What's wrong with those people?
(Please note sarcasm.)
Jude @ Jan 20th 2007 12:31PM
I have a 1999 Cherokee (Again, NO GRAND HERE) Sport, with 203,000 HARD miles. (Again, notice they are not easy miles) and she is still on the road.
DC should be on each other's backs for omitting the BEST engine offered, the 4.0, and omitting the perfect family Jeep. The Commander does not fool us Cherokee lovers. Leave the huge elephants to Ford, etc. And please - the compass, etc are jokes. They are, in essence, NOT JEEPS!
Bob @ Jan 20th 2007 12:45PM
Ugly, stupid, useless, cheap, unrefined, misshapen...
Goodday @ Jan 20th 2007 12:55PM
All the raggin' on the Compass at every Jeep post is getting really old, folks.
As a previous Wrangler owner, I discovered all Jeeps are crude POS that are loved and defended by their damn-near-religious owners. Jeepsters wave to each other like-souls as do bikers. Even Compass drivers.
DCX seems to be keeping Jeepsters happy...
Steven T. @ Jan 20th 2007 1:11PM
I give DCX credit for cutting its losses fairly early in the game. One down, at least two more nameplates to go. . . .
In theory, the Commander could have been successful, but it was a victim both of bad timing and some basic mistakes in execution.
For example, if they really needed a three-seat vehicle, why didn't they pony up the extra money needed to stretch the wheelbase sufficiently so that the third seat had decent legroom?
One of the biggest problems with the Commander is its awkward styling. Okay, so Jeep wanted to return to its more angular design heritage and respond to the rise of the Hummer. Fair enough, but good design still matters. What happened to DCX's once formidable styling department?