by Matt Konkle
Managing Editor
Right in the Nevada desert, in the heart of Las Vegas and surrounded by towers of flashing neon lights as well as endless rows of blinking slot machines, the automotive industry assembles the first week of each November for the annual Specialty Equipment Market Association show.
And while the event brings out all kinds of new products from more manufacturers than you can imagine, it also tends to serve up plenty of imagination.
Concept vehicle imagination.
Jeep owner Stellantis, through its Mopar nameplate, is no stranger to this, er, concept, and has unveiled plenty of those one-off vehicles over the years at SEMA — showing off not only some interesting Jeeps, but displaying scores of new Mopar Performance Products as well.
This year, the brand is taking seven concept vehicles into the desert, including three kinds of Jeeps that should electrify and lengthen your expectations, while getting you to the hospital if needed.
Stellantis announced on Friday that it will show off a tricked-out Wrangler 4xe, a Wrangler Sahara Unlimited named Overlook that adds third-row seating and a very cool throwback Kaiser M725 military ambulance almost guaranteed to stir up a bout of nostalgia.
Of course, you know how the concept game works though — it is doubtful any of these actually make it into production. However, with Jeep’s Grand Cherokee L now hitting showrooms, and its 4xe a huge hit, don’t put it past Stellantis to take a look at bringing at least two of these things to market.
So here are the three new SEMA Jeep concepts:
Jeep Wrangler Overlook
Think Land Rover Defender when you gaze upon this special stretched-out Wrangler Unlimited Sahara. That’s because Jeep reached out and snatched a page of the Land Rover’s playbook, and yet soared past that Defender with a body that's lengthened by a foot and a raised roof at the rear that's five inches taller than normal.
All this extra room provides just the right amount of space for an extra third row of seating. The roof extension also includes some extra windows which allow those passengers to better see the outside scenery. The overhead roof is even removable and a flip-up sunroof sits over the front seats.
Inside the Overlook, Jeep’s designers crafted seats with black Katzkin leather and bronze accents, embroidered Jeep logos on those headrests, a leather-wrapped dashboard, and suede trim for personality.
The Overlook's exterior is finished in Sahara Bronze and offers a two-inch suspension lift kit including Fox shocks. As far as the wheels, that go larger mantra is also on display as the brand ditched its traditional 18-inch Sahara wheels for 20-inch versions that are wrapped in 37-inch BF Goodrich all-terrain tires. To help point the way are extra off-road lights mounted up front.
Kaiser Jeep M725
We admit it — we’ve always had a soft spot for the Kaiser vehicles, and were especially enamored with that Crew Chief 715 concept from a few years ago.
This time around on the Kaiser front, Jeep’s designers went the hospital route and built back up a Kaiser M725 military ambulance. And when we say built up, we mean they made it quite a bit more modern with a 485-horsepower 6.4-liter V8 powerplant. Not leaving well enough alone, the engine is paired to a TorqueFlight 727 automatic transmission that gates through gears with a B&M shifter housed in a repurposed ammunition box.
Of course, the vehicle still retains its four-wheel drive and has those old axles, but instead of the original leaf springs, Jeep’s designers went the more comfortable coil-spring suspension route. Filling the void from vehicle to ground are 40-inch tires wrapped with 20-inch wheels, which needed some fender adjustments in order to fit correctly.
Some of the other upgrades on this Kaiser M725 include LED lighting, reverse camera and a reinforced frame to handle the extra weight. Jeep also turned the rear cargo area into a drink-serving station with flip-out side panel and a pop-up roof. You know, in case you get thirsty out there.
The vehicle’s interior offers up a counter featuring several taps, allowing you to serve up whatever kind of beverage you may have around. In keeping with that theme, the Jeep grille motif on the side has a bottle design.
Inside, the brand kept things pretty Spartan and utilized the same tan finish as the exterior. It does show off a custom steering wheel, data panel, gauges and seats finished off in matching tan canvas.
Jeep Wrangler 4xe
The last of the three Jeep concepts at this year’s SEMA show is one of its newest offerings, the Wrangler 4xe. But this one just isn’t one you’ll see sitting on some dealer lot.
No, this one is stuffed with Jeep Performance Products and Mopar parts, including a new 4xe-specific JPP 2-inch lift with Fox shocks which is needed to fit beadlock wheels and 37-inch tires. Up front, a Gorilla Glass windshield has been installed along with the brand’s signature stamped steel bumper, winch, and LED off-road lights.
Around the vehicle is JPP tube doors, rock rails, rear flip-down table, tailgate hinge reinforcement and third-brake light relocation kit.
While most of these products are, or will be, available for purchase, this custom 4xe also displays some custom parts that could show off some future offerings such as vinyl floor pieces and a dashboard rack to mount things like your phone, a camera or other devices.
Other standout features include the silver/white paint finish, rear cargo area, standout blue seats and tailgate-mounted air compressor.
Besides those three Jeep concepts, Stellantis is also displaying a dark green Dodge Challenger dubbed ‘Holy Guacamole’, a Grand Cherokee L Breckenridge concept with custom two-tone blue paint scheme and walnut, brown, and black interior accents, a Ram 1500 TRX RexRunner that offers up a massive 702-horsepower and a Ram 1500 Outdoorsman concept that features (shocker) some refined overlanding items like a custom bed-rack system, a modified Expertec bed-slide and RamGate tailgate bench.
