Jeep’s always been one of the more interesting stories of how an automaker came from one specific purpose to one of the most well-known brands in the world.  Now, more than ever, the brand is posed to make a significant comeback and become a player in the SUV market for the first time since Chrysler got bought out by Daimler-Benz.

Since 2007, Jeep has had some major problems in the US market and abroad.  The Grand Cherokee, while a decent vehicle, just wasn’t good enough to really make a huge dent in its market, the little Liberty was nice but lacked refinement, and Jeep’s foray into car-based SUVs with the Compass and Patriot were met with poor reviews and identically poor reception.  Now, though, Jeep’s righted some of these wrongs, no thanks to its new Italian parents.

Jeep, for a few years, attempted to simply follow the lead set by other companies with a full line of SUVs.  The Commander, for example, was simply Jeep’s attempt to compete in the three-row truck market.  However, it was cramped, incredibly inefficient, and badly designed, leading to Jeep attempting to sell a lackluster car.  Fast-forward a few years, though, and the Commander is gone, but not replaced–Jeep has realized that trying to compete in every segment of the market is simply too much work, and their money is much better spent on markets where they can compete.  Since Fiat got ahold of Chrysler LLC, they’ve done a good job putting Jeep back into shape–some of their products, such as the Patriot and Liberty, haven’t changed a lot, but the Compass and Grand Cherokee are a two examples of some great things that are going on.

Jeep’s also improved some of its lackluster models.  While all of their line recieved new, much-improved interiors this past model year, the Compass and Grand Cherokee have been subject to more.  The Grand Cherokee is all-new, and even the European magazines are impressed–a big improvement.  Meanwhile, the Compass, formerly Jeep’s most-scorned vehicle (thanks to its decidedly feminine styling, for one), got a significant facelift.  It looks more macho, and in fact, is now more like a baby Grand Cherokee than anything else.  It’s paid off–not only has the Grand Cherokee doubled in sales this year, but the Compass has done so as well, making them the most successful models (by sales improvements) to date.

Meanwhile, the Wrangler is a different sort of animal–one that hasn’t changed much, but has aged well.  While I’ve been a fan of vehicles like it since I was a little kid, its segment has almost disappeared.  Jeep could have killed the segment they created back in the Fifties, but they have not–in fact, they’ve just kept making it better, and it still sells better than almost everything else they build–in fact, this year, it’s sold nearly as many as the Grand Cherokee.  In any event, Jeep is doing extremely well right now–and with the new SRT8 Grand Cherokee having been unveiled as well, they’re looking very healthy.  Keep up the great work.

-Al