The Jeep Commander is Short Lived

As Chrysler suffers and continues to lose money, the Cerberus Capital Owned automaker is looking for ways to fix the company, starting with the areas that are bleeding the most. The Jeep Commander was an obvious choice to be eliminated as it is the slowest seller of all of Jeep’s six models. As Jeep’s biggest SUV offering, dealers such as Norco Auto Groupfelt that the decision is most likely attributed to changes in consumer attitudes that have led buyers to buy small and more fuel efficient vehicle, which the Commander is not.

The Jeep Commander is the fifth model to be dropped by CCM. Part of the strategy is to remove vehicles within the Chrysler umbrella that compete for the same customer. With 11 SUVs offered being the US automaker, there was obviously some overlapping in terms of which markets are being over served. Chrysler already offers the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen in the same segment the Commander fills.

Jeep and Chrysler did not anticipate such a steep decline in this once hot market. But with the recent extreme surges in gasoline prices, Jeep dealer River Valley Jeep likely will not miss the Commander. Nationwide sales of the Commander dropped 29 percent last year along, with sales in the first quarter of this year looking dismal.

The Commander was also Jeep’s most expensive product, notes Irvine Chrysler Jeep, with pricing that could reach into the low forties. As a gas-guzzling vehicle, it lost appeal with consumers who are increasing money conscious amid high fuel costs and a weak economy.