Jeep’s largest offering, the Commander, is reportedly on thin ice. According to a Detroit News report, forecasters are removing the SUV from their model matrixes after model year 2009, and anonymous United Auto Workers sources have echoed the rumors.
To be fair, the Commander’s t-square styling and tight third-row packaging haven’t exactly won it critical raves since its 2006 debut, and some buyers considering the Jeep brand were reportedly choosing the similarly-sized Grand Cherokee instead.
Jeep managed to shift around 88,500 Commanders in 2006, but not without a pile of cash stacked up on the hood (according to Edmunds.com, almost $8000 per unit). What’s more, the advent of the Commander appears to have also curbed Grand Cherokee sales in the process, though fluctuating gas prices and competition from new vehicles like General Motors’ GMT900 SUVs doubtlessly have had an effect on both vehicles as well.
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