Enter the Dragon: Jeep hopes its Wrangler Dragon concept will help it gain ground as it re-enters the Chinese market.
Talk about a lost opportunity. Long before the economic miracle that has transformed China into the world’s largest automotive market, Jeep set up a factory in Beijing. A horribly inefficient plant that it eventually walked away from just as the Chinese car market exploded.
Now Jeep and the rest of Chrysler want back in, and the U.S. maker gave a hint of what it has in mind with a pair of concept vehicles it revealed during this week’s Beijing Motor Show, the Chrysler 300 Ruyi and Jeep Wrangler Dragon concepts.
“The Jeep brand is committed to China and therefore we must design and tailor our vehicles to the specific tastes and preferences of Chinese consumers,” said Mike Manley, Chief Operating Officer for Asia and President and CEO – Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC.
“The Wrangler Dragon design concept,” he added, “is the first Jeep vehicle designed specifically with Chinese elements in mind and showcases the opportunity for special editions that might be available for China in the near future.”
The theme for the Jeep is doubly appropriate, first considering the roaring pace of China’s automotive market, which many expect to generate as much as 30 million sales annually by 2020. But it also turns out to be the Year of the Dragon, according to the Chinese calendar.
Chrysler hopes to gain prosperity in China with the 300C Ruyi concept.
Add the fact that the dragon is a symbol of the natural world which is precisely where you’re supposed to be driving a Wrangler.
The Dragon concept is based on a Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited with a three-piece hardtop. The show cars black paint is offset with extensive bronze detailing and a series of painted dragons, including one on the hood and running onto the fenders, as well as another on the under hood insulation.
The show car rides on 18-inch matte alloy wheels shod with 35-inch off-road tires.
The interior of the Wrangler Dragon concept is unusually up-market, with piano black and bronze accents, along with gold accent stitching on the leather-wrapped door bolsters.
As for the Chrysler 300 Ruyi, the concept’s name is borrowed the Chinese symbol of prosperity, something the maker clearly hopes to share as it nudges its way back into the market.
“By integrating our distinctive American design and technology with timeless Chinese inspiration, we are looking to attract an emerging set of customers who are driven and dare to be different,” said Saad Chehab, President and Chief Executive Officer – Chrysler Brand, Chrysler Group LLC. “We look forward to gathering the reaction of Chinese customers to the Chrysler 300 Ruyi, to surprise them with future models incorporating elements that we can see today in this design concept.”
The ruyi symbol is badged onto the trunklid, the vehicle itself finished in what Chrysler describes as a Maximum Steel paint scheme. The polished grille is offset by dark chromed accents, as is much of the rest of the car.
The dark color theme continues inside, contrasted with machined metal accent trim and light seat fabric.
The Chrysler 300C Ruyi is powered by a 3.8-liter V-6 bolted to the maker’s 8-speed automatic.
While the new models are ostensibly billed as “concepts,” Chrysler and Jeep indicate there are definite production possibilities if there’s demand from the Chinese market.