by Matt Konkle
Torque Editor-in-Chief
MOAB, Utah — For pretty much its entire history, you could count on a Jeep vehicle’s front end sporting that seven-slot look that made the vehicle instantly recognizable throughout the world.
Well, it appears that legacy is coming to an end starting with the 2022 model year.
During Wednesday’s concept reveal at the annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, multiple independent sources confirmed new Jeep owner Stellantis, created following the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group, will no longer offer a seven-slot front grille on new Jeep vehicles.
”We just learned this in February as the designs came in for the new model year,” said one source who Wednesday approached us in Moab's Walker Drug parking lot — site of the concept roll out. “To say we were surprised is an understatement. We knew Stellantis would want to shake things up once the merger settled, but there are a lot of us who are unhappy about this change”.
”It is simply a part of Jeep history that should have remained untouched”.
According to a rendering we acquired, the grille design will change beginning with the 2022 model year on all trim level Wranglers.
Instead of the traditional seven slots, the rendering shows that Stellantis is closing the front grille area on the Wrangler and incorporating its circular starburst pattern in the center of the grille.
Stellantis said in a statement that it does not comment on any pending vehicle updates.
The brand’s famous seven-slot grille stems back to the early 1940s, with a world at war and the United States military looking for a new truck that would be durable and agile in varying terrains.
Bantam Car Company first brought a prototype to the Army in 1941, and ultimately it was deemed the best design for this new truck. However, the Army felt Bantam was too small a company to supply the amount of vehicles needed. So, it supplied that design to Willys-Overland and Ford, both of whom modified the design before Willys was officially chosen.
Still, so many Jeeps were required that both Willys and Ford (and to a smaller extent Bantam) were given contracts to produce the vehicle. While Willys initially used the same front design that Bantam employed, which looked like an iron fence, Ford’s engineers soon figured out how to create a similar look by using a single piece of stamped steel that had nine elongated holes and would be less expensive.
Following the war, Willys decided to create a civilian version of the Jeep and wanted to trademark that now well-known nine-slot grille face. However, while Willys had the rights to the vehicle, Ford designed and produced the grille.
So, in order to get around that issue, Willys simply took away two of those openings which created the seven-slot look we know today.
Or, that is to say, the look that we used to know as Jeep's face.
”This grille face is something that has identified a Jeep for decades,” said a company source who stopped by our booth Wednesday at the Dixie Off Road Expo. “I don’t believe this is a smart change. And I’m pretty sure everyone else will think the same way once they see it come to life.”
While the 2022 Jeep Wrangler is set to hit showrooms later this year, don’t expect it to have anything else but the traditional seven-slot grille. That’s because everything you read above was made up. As far as we know, there is no way Stellantis would ever mess with the Jeep grille face.
April Fools.
Those seven grille slots are pretty much as significant to the brand as the name Jeep itself.
One thing that is clear, though — Jeep has some pretty significant models embarking to dealerships in the near future.
From the Wrangler 392 to 4xe, to the new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, it should be a pretty significant year for Jeep.
Photo Rendering: Alan Close of Apoc Designs
