Jeep Gladiator

Jeep has long been the standard for off-roading excellence, known for power and ability to

overcome an obstacle. Now from the makers of the Wrangler, the Grand Cherokee, and the Liberty

comes revolutionary Jeep truck crossover.

The Jeep Gladiator is a lifestyle vehicle which combines the functionality of a full sized pickup

with the utility and durability of the Jeep brand. Built from the base of the 2012 Wrangler this vehicle

is designed with usefulness at its core. This product offers uncompromising off-roading ability with the

power and maneuverability to get you where you need to go. All the standards you’ve come to expect

in a leading pickup truck, including ample bed space and towing capacity, are found in this

revolutionary new vehicle.

This truck stays true to its Jeep roots by offering

open-air canvas roof removable doors and fold-down

windshield allowing occupants to get in touch with the

outdoors. Also in true Jeep form the Gladiator features the

trademarked seven slot grille, command Trac 4x4 system,

front and rear-locking differentials, a front winch and full

skid plate. There is no where you need to go that this truck

can’t take you. Lovers of Jeep both new and old will be

attracted to this timeless mix of the classic Jeep design and

contemporary style. From the throw back side mounted

spare to the state of the art GPS system this vehicle will suit all tastes in Jeeps.

Now offered comes the Jeep Gladiator RealTree Limited Addition Model. This addition caters

to true outdoors man by offering a variety of features selected

with the hunters in mind. In partnership with RealTree experts

have customized the Gladiator to be fit for even the challenging

hunts. This truck not only offers the hunter the ruggedness and

maneuverability to get you to the game but the power and

capacity to get trophy from the field to your wall. A full grown

elk can weigh as much as 800 pounds best to have a vehicle that

can handle the heavy lifting for you.

Your trophy buck won’t have any place to hide thanks to the Jeep Gladiator’s Trail-Rated 3.73

rear axle ratio, Bridgestone tires, and H12000 Hydraulic Winch. Rough or rocky terrain is a nonissue

with 280 horse power and a full skidplate to protect the

undercarriage. To increase water fording ability the 2.8 diesel

engine is flooding resistant. Also the sealed doors keep the

driver and passengers’ dry but for the occupants who don’t

mind playing in the water the cab is completely self-draining.

This draining ability in combination with the waterproof

interior means that hoes-out cleaning is possible. Standard for

the Gladiator a mini door behind the driver’s side allows for

easy access to storage in the back seat or a convent entry or

exit point for your trusty four legged companion. Two or four door and standard or automatic are all

options available. Unique to the RealTree version is the RealTree camo accents, live-well option, KC

lights expandable bed and other options. Hunters couldn’t ask for a better option than this dependable

and versatile new product from Jeep.

Brand Status

History

Immerging into the auto market in the 1940 jeep was born

during the struggles of World War II as a reliable 4x4 which

could go anywhere and do anything. The company grew to

become a powerful player in the auto industry. What made

jeep so special was the unique product it offered. No other

company could match Jeeps off road prowess or utility. As

the years rolled on the product line was expanded to include

a more diverse line of vehicles. Interestingly the Gladiator is

not jeeps first pick/jeep combination vehicle. In the early

seventy’s the J-10 Honcho was introduced as the

performance pickup. Like its descendent the Gladiator the

Honcho offered the utility and reliability of the jeep with the

functionality of a standard pickup.

Today

Today Jeep has advanced greatly from its humble beginnings and become a leader in many categories

of today’s auto industry. Jeep is a division of Chrysler Automotive Group which is the fourth largest

automaker, controlling ten percent of market shares, in the United States last year. Jeeps role as a

member of the Chrysler involves the design and production of SUVs and off-road vehicles. It currently

produces five different models the Patriot, the Grand Cherokee, the Wrangler, the Compass and the

Liberty. Currently Jeep is the United States number one selling SUV brand. The Wrangler and the

Grand Cherokee are sixth and seventh in a list of top selling SUV’s on the market in 2012.

However Jeep has been and is currently the industry leader in off-road vehicles. No other company

offers the same level of efficiency and reliability as Jeep. The motto “Go Anywhere, Do Anything” has

echoed true for Jeep products. Jeeps off-roading ability and dependability has led

to the phrase “lifestyle vehicle” being used to describe the product. To ensure that

Jeep product match the grueling demands or off-road terrain the Trail Rated

program was created. In order to become trial rated a Jeep must score in five

categories which are: Traction, articulation, water fording, ground clearance, and

maneuverability. Perhaps the most telling aspect of Jeep’s dominance in the off-

road industry is the cultural use of jeep, with a lowercase to refer to any vehicle

suitable for use on rough terrain.

Industry Trends

When putting together the Jeep Gladiator it is important to keep up with trends that are making

other vehicles popular. So when searching for trends it is difficult because the Gladiator is half jeep and

half truck. Jeep is known for off-roading so it is important to fallow some of the the popular trends that

off-road vehicles are using. The Gladiator is also a truck so it is important to fallow some of the

popular truck trends.

Trends that have been becoming more common for off-road vehicles have been full-length

under body skid plates, warn winches, rock rails, and LED off-road lights. To keep up with the new

trends on off-road vehicles the Jeep Gladiator will have the under body skip plates which help keep the

jeep from getting hung up on any large rocks and will also help from getting any damage to the under

body. The gladiator will also have a winch to pull the vehicle out if it would get stuck in mud or snow.

Rock rails help protect the vehicle from dents from rock and could be an option for our truck. For the

last trend that has been common for the exterior of off-road trucks is LED off-road lights. Since our

truck is intended for off-roading and hunting these will be excellent for the gladiator.

Rock Rails Skid Plate

There are many trends that are happening with trucks to cover. The Ford F-series is truck of the

year so these are some of the trends that ford is using. The trend that ford is the most focused on is an

EcoBoost. The EcoBoost technology is designed to deliver power and torque while getting twenty

percent better fuel efficiency and fifteen percent reduced greenhouse emissions. The EcoBoost is only

produced by the Ford Motor Company but we need to keep fuel efficiency and greenhouse emissions in

mind. With high fuel prices everyone is looking for a fuel efficient truck.

Trends that are being focus on in trucks now is more space. The gladiator is more focused on

going off road and for hunting which space won't be as important in the cab. The Gladiator will fit two

comfortably but the back seat might be a little tight. What will be unique about the Gladiator is that the

bed can extend into the cab. This will give the truck more space to carry big game animals or whatever

a person may want to haul in the back.

Another trend that has been popular is storage space.

Ford has a Storage on Demand Active Center Accessory and

Nutrition Holder. Storage will be a necessity in a hunting truck.

It will need storage for Bullets, Knifes, jackets, boots, guns, and

any other accessories that a person may need on their hunting

trip.

Buyer Profile and Behavior

The buyer profile of the Jeep Gladiator would mainly target outdoors men. The Truck is built

for men that want to go off-roading and reach areas many other vehicles cannot reach. When hunting a

person may kill their game someplace that is hard to reach, with the Gladiator they can overcome many

off-roading obstacles. The truck is also very stylish for someone that might just want to cruise the town

and look good.

The targeted age for driving the Gladiator is very wide. It is

for young people with the luxury on the inside and a unique style. It

would also be a great truck for an older hunter. So being a hunting truck

it would be a great vehicle for any hunter from the age 16 to the age

when you can't hunt no more.

With the great features the Gladiator has, comes a price. The target income of the customers can

be average to a wealthy person. If a person was considering this as just a truck for hunting and have a

different vehicle for everything else, it may be targeting a more of a wealthy person. But someone that

is looking for a new truck that does everything this is just right for an average person.

Location can play a big part in marketing of this product also. This truck would be perfect for

someone that lives in the mountains or some type of rough terrain. It would also be good to target areas

that have a lot of hunting land or that is known for hunting. Though it may not sell to city people that

don't drive anywhere besides the freeway.

So a good place to advertise the Gladiator may be a place like Cabela's or a Bass Pro Shop.

These stores bring in all types of hunters, fishermen, and outdoors men. These stores would have the

perfect target customers that we would be looking for. If a man is interested in hunting they would love

the truck because it can go off-roading, has room for guns and supplies and it also has an extendable

bed to carry their game . The men interested in fishing would also love this truck. The gladiator has

enough room for many fishing polls, supplies and also has an option to have a fishing well. No other

vehicle has this option which could make this truck perfect for fishermen. Lastly this truck is great or

just any outdoors men such as someone who enjoys backpacking, canoeing, climbing, and boating. The

gladiator has plenty of storage to carry any type of supplies and also has a hitch to haul trailers and

boats.

Competition SWOT Analysis We broke down our competitors SWOT analysis based on the different companies that produce

vehicles that would be considered in the same class as the Jeep Gladiator. We thought that the Ford

Ranger was going to be our main competitor, but after some thorough research it turned out with a

different outcome.

Ford Ranger SWOT:

Strengths: they have a strong brand portfolio, strong engineering,

high employee productivity, and a wide network of dealers.

Weakness: product recalls, declining operating efficiency, weak

returns, not in production as of 2012.

Opportunities: the main opportunities for Ford are that they have

set up factories across the world in India, China, and Europe to

produce their vehicles. This is huge for the company because they can get the same output and pay less

for labor.

Threats: sluggish light vehicles, economic slowdown in the United States and Europe.

Ford Ranger strengths: top seller for small light trucks, best compact truck, increase power and safety

in towing capability, listed in 180 markets and comes with 4-wheel drive. Below is the statistics for the

Ford Ranger found at carsort.com.

Price: $19,000-$26,000

MPG: 15-22 city, 19-27 Hwy

292-526 miles on a tank

143-207 horse power

6 foot bed

1190-1400 weight capacity

Can be 4 or 6 cylinder

Weakness: bad breaks, steering is slow around town, ride is bouncy on poor roads, refinement, 143

horse power engine has a lot of vibration and sounds horse, and no longer manufactured on the market.

Chevy Colorado SWOT:

Strengths: Research and development in the automobile segment,

successful management as it has over 300,000 employees globally,

Chevrolet is present in 6 continents and has a prominent presence in

countries like USA, Canada, China, India, Japan, Middle East, Europe, Australia, has a huge variety of

models ranging from hatchbacks to SUV’s, Chevrolet is actively present in international racing

competitions like NASCAR.

Weakness: Chevrolet brand was severely affected by bankruptcy of General Motors, dealing with

intense competition from companies across the globe such as Honda and Toyota, their advertising and

brand presence is less than other brands compared.

Opportunities: availability to develop fuel efficient cars for the future, tapping emerging markets

across the world and building a global brand, company is involved with a fast growing automobile

market.

Threats: Government policies for the automobile sector across the world, increasing fuel prices,

increasing competition from global automobile companies, consumers are substituting modes of public

transportation like buses and trains for their means of getting from place to place. Below

Chevy Colorado strengths: only light pickup that offers a V8, only light truck that sounds like a

heavy duty diesel truck, won the 0-60 competition between competitors, has the most horsepower and

torque out of every other small truck. Below is the statistics for this vehicle found at carsort.com.

Price: $17,000-$28,000

MPG: 18 city, 24-25 Hwy

185 horse power

342-475 miles on tank

4 cylinder

6 foot bed

1410-1450 weight capacity

2-wheel drive

Available in 5 cylinder with 242 horsepower

Weakness: minimum ground clearance for rough terrain, small on the inside.

Toyota Tacoma SWOT:

Strengths: 2nd

in production behind General Motors, targets and

positions its products in several countries, produce all sizes of vehicles

for consumers so they can find what they need with them, company uses

marketing and advertising techniques to identify and satisfy customer

needs.

Weakness: the world car market is beginning to over-crowd so

companies need to make sure it is their vehicles that consumers want,

mainly sell in United States and Japan where their economies are fluctuating periodically, has to know

an exact number of vehicles to manufacture because if they produce too much then they will be wasting

money and if they make too less then they will be missing out on the ability to sell.

Opportunity: has a great reputation with producing very efficient hybrid vehicles, selling their

technology ideas to build hybrid vehicles to other motor companies, has the type of vehicle that is

amusing to the ‘urban youth’ population so they are marketing their vehicles to them.

Threats: product recalls have affected the company within the last 10 years, competition is increasing

in other countries around the world from China, South Korea, and new plants in Eastern Europe.

Toyota is affected by the price of raw materials to produce the vehicles such as rubber and steel.

Toyota Tacoma strengths: best fuel economy, best breaks out of the small pickup class, 2nd

in

acceleration, 2nd

in torque behind Chevy’s V8 engine. Below are the statistics for this vehicle from

carsort.com

Price: $22,000-$28,000

MPG: 14-19 city, 18-25 Hwy

V6 with 294-525 horse power

4 cylinder with 159 horse power

Comes with 5 or 6 foot bed

1235-1430 weight capacity

Weakness: it is pricy for the consumer based on the benefits that they are receiving from purchasing

the vehicle,

Jeep Gladiator SWOT Analysis Strengths: two extra feet in cab space with shortened bed, teamed up

with real-tree for the advertisement, has the door for hunting dogs to

exit from the back seat, silent exhaust for hunters driving to their

hunting area, it’s in the price range of our top competitor Toyota

Tacoma, easily out perform any light to mid-size truck in off-road

capability and still hold its own while hauling.

Weakness: entering a market that is starting to diminish with the loss of the Ford Ranger and Dodge

Dakota, the light truck market isn’t what it used to be because of the increase in gas prices.

Opportunity: taking Ford and Dodges customers, only truck specialized for hunting, getting well-

known hunters to drive our truck.

Threats: competition between Toyota, Chevy, and Ford. This product is either going to boom or bust

in the market, Dodges team-up with Mossy Oak, taking customers from Jeep Wrangler.

Product Positioning Our vehicle will be in the running for the top off-road vehicle in class. It will have

the capability to outperform the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and the

Nissan Frontier in off-roading. It can compete with top in class in HP, Torque, Cab

Space, Hauling, and bed room. Even though the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet

Colorado, and the Nissan Frontier are their technical competition, the Jeep

Gladiator is really in its own category. It is the only truck that has the Jeep

name on it, the only one based on getting anywhere you need to go, and it is

specified for the outdoorsman type of customers. Not only is it a top brand in

Jeep, it also has the premier hunting camouflage with it teaming up with

Realtree. Even though it is focused on off-roading and specified for the outdoors, it can still be used as

the everyday truck.

Price

Our Jeep Gladiator will be set on market at a very competitive price compared to its

competitors. We have set the price range to $25,000-$33,000 depending on the particular add-ons that a

customer has included. We have based our pricing off of the Jeep Wrangler because the Jeep Gladiator

is going to have a lot of similarities to the Wrangler but have an extended bed to be classified as a mid-

size truck. The 4x4 Jeep Wrangler is priced between $22,000-$30,000, and we find the Gladiator at a

perfect pricing range. We are also going to have a limited edition Jeep Gladiator that will be produced

specifically for the ideal hunter and it will have all the accessories needed during a hunting expedition.

We found at carsort.com the pricing for our main competitors. The

listing said that the Ford Ranger is priced between $19,000-$26,000. The

Chevy Colorado is right around the same price range at $17,000-$28,000. The

Toyota Tacoma is priced on the market at $22,000-$28,000. We find our Jeep

Gladiator as in the correct pricing range because we have the better

overall truck for our customers and our product is worth every penny.

Package/Place To display our product we want to keep them outside and demonstrate what our truck can do

that others cannot. When being displayed at Jeep dealerships, like most wranglers, we want to have a

tire on a log to show how our four wheel drive is the best in

class. Since our truck is designed more for the outdoorsmen we

want to focus displays in rural areas and on the outskirts of

bigger cities. We also want to display and raffle off our truck at

5 different Cabela’s, Scheels, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander

Mountain across the country.

Promotion We are looking to have the public be able to test drive our truck in mud, rocks, water, and have a

real outdoor experience and prove its trail rated at outdoor shows like Ducks Unlimited or Pheasants

Forever events. To promote our truck we are planning on giving National Parks a good deal to use a

few of our trucks for tours and off-roading. We will be displaying a total of five trucks at each main

outdoor store, including Cabela’s, Scheels, Bass Pro Shops, and Gander Mountain. They will be spread

out in each region and each truck will be raffled off. http://goo.gl/maps/rOmI9

5 Gander Mountains locations: Columbus, OH, Rochester, NY, Fargo, ND, Jacksonville, FL,

Auroa, CO

5 Cabela’s locations: Lehi, UT, Richfield, WI, Winnipeg, MB, CA, La Vista, NE, Fort Worth,

TX

5 Scheel locations: Souix Falls, SD, St. Cloud, MN, Des Moines, IA, Billings, MT, Springfield,

IL

5 Bass Pro Shop locations: Nashville, TN, Las Vegas, NV, Oklahoma City, OK, Savannah, GA,

Manteca, CA

Short and Long-term Goals We have several goals that we want to accomplish with this new design of the Jeep Gladiator.

We understand that it will be a difficult process to reach these goals, but it will be well worth it in the

end. It is very important that we are able to reach our short-term goals because it will set up a

foundation for us to accomplish our long-term goals. Below is a list of our short and long-term goals

that we have set up for our new vehicle.

Short-term:

Dealership Recognition- In order for our new vehicle to get a head start and compete with

competitors we need to get it on car lots. Our focus is to get the Jeep Gladiator to have its

presence on Jeep car lots on the outskirts of large cities where hunting is a popular activity. We

want the vehicle to be a top seller at these lots so we gain the recognition.

Customer Participation- Our goal is to sell at least 25,000 vehicles within the first quarter of the

current year of its existence. To achieve this we need to equip the Gladiator with what the

customer is looking for!

Encourage Brand Switching- We want our product to stand out over all competitors because we

DO have the best small truck vehicle on the market. We want our product to be liked by so

many people that more people switch from their normal vehicle to the fun, exciting, off-roading

vehicle like the Gladiator!

Word of Mouth- We want our customers to be satisfied with our product that way they will

share it with their friends. We want people talking about their exciting trips up mountains,

through the mud, and through many other obstacles!

Known as the New, Different, Unlike Any Other Type of Truck- We want the Jeep Gladiator to

stand out and have people ask, “What is that?!” and then go look at it and get information. We

want to be new and exciting, different and awesome, that’s how we want to gain people’s

attention. No one wants the same old boring style truck with its basic add-ons when you can get

the new Jeep Gladiator with almost any add-on you could think of!

Long-term:

Dealership Loyalty- We plan to have the most successful truck in our class and are majorly

looking for dealerships that will continue to want our product on their lot every year!

Gaining Competitive Advantage- We are going to be the most popular vehicle in our class for

the customers who are needing a product like what we offer. Our product will have more an

better features than any other competitor for many years!

Increasing Sales Year After Year - We believe that hunting will be around for a very long time

and we have the perfect vehicle for this type of activity. We will continue to add features that

will make an outdoor adventure fun and easy without being stuck, that will make sales continue

to increase as more hunters and are learning about the Jeep Gladiator, and what it has to offer!

Target consumer/audience Our target consumer/audience is hunters all over America! There are millions of these people

around the country so we have a large group to market too. The age range for our target audience is

16+ because once you have the capability to drive, then the Jeep should be yours! Hunters range from a

wide age so that is why we are marketing to all ages with this vehicle. The Jeep Gladiator is PERFECT

for the ideal hunter because the customer will be able to drive their vehicle to their kill spot and haul

away large game instead of having to waste away remains. As making the life of a hunter much easier,

these customers will be very satisfied with our new product once they make their first purchase.

MORE!!!

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