Some proposed are killed on the idea stage, and a few go deep into improvement earlier than in the end being scrapped. That’s what occurred at Jeep within the Nineteen Nineties when the model was growing an entry stage mannequin that might have introduced a primary, low-cost off-roader to the plenty.
Discovered by means of an previous Allpar article (and a tweet on X.com. H/T to @Mike_M_Koltz) by former Jeep engineer Bob Sheaves, Jeep was apparently growing an entry stage mannequin as a direct response to the Suzuki Samurai. Internally, it was referred to as “JJ” which stood for “Junior Jeep”.
Jeep noticed the success that Suzuki was having with the Samurai and needed in. It designed a automobile with superior efficiency that may very well be bought world wide for reasonable. The plan, as Sheaves described, was to construct the Jeep utilizing off the shelf components and a simplified manufacturing course of to maintain prices down.
The preliminary design work was accomplished by a workforce led by Jeep’s design chief on the time, Bob Nixon. The end result was precisely what you’d count on a Samurai combating Jeep to appear to be. The workforce got here up with a two door convertible. Up entrance, there was Jeep’s signature seven-slot grille flanked by squared headlights and amber flip indicators that wouldn’t look misplaced on a JL Wrangler. Round again have been taillights that just about appeared as in the event that they have been the other way up set low into the rear bumper. And in a novel design transfer, the decrease fenders, entrance bumper and roll bar have been all related. The end result was a automobile with an 87-inch wheelbase that was 63-inches huge and 131-inches lengthy.
Engineers have been tasked with making the JJ an actual Jeep, one thing that might make it over the Rubicon path. Engines and elements have been off the shelf to maintain prices low. Hemmings says initially, two Renault four-cylinder engines have been thought of to energy the JJ. After Chrysler’s buy of AMC in 1987, Sheaves says the two.5-liter I4 and five-speed guide from the Plymouth Horizon/Dodge Omni have been used. To additional maintain prices down and issues easy, Eaves says the engine was turned 90 levels so a single pace switch case may very well be used.
Chrysler was to this point into JJ improvement that they even had an thought of what they needed it to price. Sheaves says the automaker needed the JJ to price “on the order of 1 quarter to 1 third lower than the Grand Cherokee.” This was going to be helped by its manufacturing course of as Sheaves described. “It was designed to be 13 separate modules, assembled by suppliers, and virtually snapped collectively on the meeting line — while not having electrical energy to snap items collectively.” The JJ was additionally going to have a simplified lineup consisting of only one physique model, one engine and one transmission.
Even with price saving measures just like the manufacturing course of and off the shelf components, the JJ wasn’t meant to be and the undertaking was canceled. There have been just a few causes, one in all which was the JJ’s off-road efficiency. In response to Hemmings, various engineers felt it wasn’t an precise Jeep as a result of it couldn’t deal with itself off-road throughout testing on the Rubicon path, one thing Sheaves spoke on.
“In the end, it was killed because it couldn’t make it over the Rubicon unassisted and wasn’t thought of a real Jeep by the bulk. The JJ couldn’t traverse the Rubicon Path utterly with no towrope on one steep part. It lacked the tire static loaded radius to get throughout one specific technical problem. That was the one failure to finish the check. Evan Boberg and I disagree on this level, as I really feel it was a real Jeep, identical as the unique MBs have been. A inventory MB a good friend of mine had was unable to cross the Rubicon path with out help.”
Sheaves appears to state that he thinks an even bigger tire would have helped as a substitute of the 29-inch used on the JJ. He mentions that engineers tried going for a 31-inch tire, however they wouldn’t match “with out hitting and tearing up the entrance fenders and wheelhouse.” One other challenge was this system’s price. Because the JJ acquired additional alongside in improvement, extra physique types began being proposed, the principle of which was a four-door model. In response to Hemmings, this caught the eye of executives, who in the end killed its improvement and redistributed its finances to different applications.
It prompted Chrysler Vice President Bob Lutz to imagine that this system had grown too massive. This system additionally turned too costly for the restricted quantity of revenue it might generate, versus the extra worthwhile Grand Cherokee. So, Jeep acquired the brand new Grand Cherokee, Dodge obtained sharp new pickup vehicles, and JJ was dropped.
Sixty pre-production prototypes have been constructed. It’s not recognized what occurred to them. Whereas Sheaves says he believes that the JJ might have bought effectively, we by no means acquired something near a correct Samurai fighter from Jeep. The band ultimately got here out with entry stage fashions years later with the Compass and Patriot, however early variations of these fashions have been even much less Jeep-like than the JJ.
