Jeep had been continually attempting to redesign the Wagoneer since the mid-1990s with various proposals. In January 2011,
Sergio Marchionne, CEO of
Fiat S.p.A. and later
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), announced at his press conference at the
North American International Auto Show in
Detroit that the name "Grand Wagoneer" would be relaunched as a new SUV built on the same platform as the
Jeep Grand Cherokee and the
Dodge Durango. On September 2, 2013,
Chrysler announced that they would delay production until 2015 to allow the
Dodge Durango to find an audience but at the same time would use the Grand Wagoneer concept as a basis for a full-size luxury SUV that would compete against the
Cadillac Escalade and
Lincoln Navigator, whose redesigns went on sale in 2014. On June 9, 2015, FCA announced that it would unveil a new version of the full-sized Grand Wagoneer at its dealers' convention on August 25, 2015. In August 2015, however, FCA announced that the production of the upcoming Grand Cherokee replacement would be delayed into 2018 and was scheduled to be built at
Warren Truck Assembly. On October 18, 2016, Jeep released teaser photos of the Grand Wagoneer, which indicated that it would be based on the
third generation Durango and introduced as a 2019 model. The plan was delayed again in March 2017. On December 5, 2019, spy shots surfaced of FCA testing a Wagoneer using a Ram 1500
body on frame SUV. Due to the 2020
COVID-19 pandemic, FCA delayed the start of production by at least three months and was expected to debut this full-size version in early 2021 as a 2022 model. On September 3, 2020, Jeep presented the Grand Wagoneer concept, which foreshadowed the next Grand Wagoneer marketed in 2021. The SUV is distinguished by a massive silhouette with oblong headlights and a multi-hole grille. A characteristic feature is the lack of Jeep-branded markings on the body and in the passenger compartment in favor of badges with the model name. Production models of the Wagoneer were revealed on March 11, 2021. The first models were expected to ship later in the year, with general dealership availability starting October 2021. On July 3, 2023, the Grand Wagoneer was launched in the Middle East. The Wagoneer will be phased out by 2026, making the 2025 model year its final iteration, while production of the Grand Wagoneer will continue. == Layout ==