According to Automotive News, FCA plans to build a pickup truck variant of the next-generation Jeep Wrangler, probably in the 2017-18 time frame.
Jeep enthusiasts have anticipated a Wrangler pickup since the appearance of the Jeep Gladiator concept back in 2005. While it had the appearance of a Wrangler, it was actually built on a Ram pickup chassis.
There have been Jeep pickups in the past however. During AMC's ownership of the brand, it introduced the Comanche pickup in 1986. Based on the Cherokee platform, it was discontinued in 1992 by its then-owner, Chrysler, which had its own pickup truck line in the Dodge Ram.
Prior to the Comanche, Jeep offered a Scrambler pickup version of the CJ-8 – a long-wheelbase variant of the Wrangler's predecessor to the. The Scrambler's bed-box was miniscule compared o those of real pickups, but real pickups didn't have the cachet of a Jeep so it found a niche market of its own.
Even before that, there was a real Jeep pickup, built on the big Wagoneer platform, which was also called the Gladiator. Introduced in 1962, when Jeep was part of Willys. The company changed its name to Kaiser Jeep in 1963.
The Gladiator continued in production with relatively minor changes until 1988, but the Gladiator name was dropped in 1972. After that it was known just as the Jeep pickup, with various model designations such as J2000 and J4000. Chrysler acquired American Motors, including Jeep, in 1987 and the Jeep Pickup was discontinued soon after.
Now, FCA, which includes what was Chrysler, sees merit in a Jeep pickup again.
