Commander: Jeep's white elephant?

To its credit, DaimlerChrysler has largely escaped the mudslinging surrounding big incentives as of late, content to let General Motors and Ford play cash-on-the-hood Jenga. But now it appears the square-rigged Jeep Commander may be Chrysler's white elephant. To say that the SUV's sales are in a free-fall would be a bit of a misnomer, as they've yet to truly ascend to the heights that parent DCX has been hoping for.

Driving off the lot with incentives in excess of $5,400 just seven months after the vehicle's launch, the big ute is being pawned off with givebacks $1,803 higher than average. The 101-day supply at the beginning of March is likely proving worrysome to Jeep dealers as DCX nears the Chrysler Aspen launch, an SUV arguably a little too close for comfort in terms of size, capacity and price. Other dealers, however, don't appear to be too troubled about cultivating Aspen-on-Commander inter-showroom cannibalism, arguing that the dolled-up Durango looks too much like a Chrysler for Jeep buyers, and vice-versa.

Still, some dealers are reporting an uptick in recent sales, and concerns that Commander would crib sales from the brand's Grand Cherokee have proven less problematic than originally feared.

[Sources: AutoWeek, JeepNewsNow.com]