The Backstory Behind Keeping the Jeep Wagoneer S Name
And yes, that name is official for the new midsize electric SUV coming later this year.
When Jeep first told us about plans for a premium midsize electric SUV, it was given a placeholder name: the Wagoneer S. It was so codenamed because the automaker was trying to turn Wagoneer into a sub-brand. And the S was for speed because this smaller SUV would be faster than the three-row Jeep Wagoneer or Grand Wagoneer. With 600 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of 3.5 seconds, it was designed to be the fastest Jeep SUV, period.
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But it needed a name. Jeep officials had a list of potential names, a mix of new and legacy names that they had studied and debated. But in case there was a better suggestion out there, they decided to open it up to the public for ideas of what to call the new global vehicle. There would be a prize for the winning suggestion. That was in the fall of 2022 and the contest drew about 80,000 submissions from around the world. In May we were told Jeep had decided on a name that would be announced soon. Then crickets.
In the meantime, teasers, images, and releases about the smallest Wagoneer continued to refer to it as the Wagoneer S. Given that the SUV is to go on sale this year, time was seemingly running out to get badging with the new name dialed in before production begins in the second quarter.
Further Proof in the Badging
We saw a near-production-ready version of the midsize SUV again last week—still called the Wagoneer S. It had Jeep badging on the back—no longer Wagoneer. And there was a logo with a big S on the rear quarter panels.
We asked Lucy McLellan, the new senior vice president of global marketing and communications, what happened. Turns out a lot of respondents to the naming contest said they like the Wagoneer S name and recommended Jeep keep it. and many of the other suggestions that the team liked were trademarked and thus not available.
To honor the spirit of the contest, the prize was given to the first person who said to keep the Wagoneer S name.
So, Jeep Wagoneer S it is. And it might be the last new vehicle to include Wagoneer in the name with Jeep's decision to abandon its efforts to make Wagoneer a sub-brand under new Jeep Brand CEO Antonio Filosa. It was a strategy that was confusing to customers, was heavily criticized, and never really took off. Which is why the Wagoneer S now has "Jeep" written across the back instead of "Wagoneer." And all members of the Wagoneer family will be branded as Jeeps going forward.
Alisa Priddle joined MotorTrend in 2016 as the Detroit Editor. A Canadian, she received her Bachelor of Journalism degree from Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, and has been a reporter for 40 years, most of it covering the auto industry because there is no more fascinating arena to cover. It has it all: the vehicles, the people, the plants, the competition, the drama. Alisa has had a wonderfully varied work history as a reporter for four daily newspapers including the Detroit Free Press where she was auto editor, and the Detroit News where she covered the GM and Chrysler bankruptcies, as well as auto trade publication Wards, and two enthusiast magazines: Car & Driver and now MotorTrend. At MotorTrend Alisa is a judge for the MotorTrend Car, Truck, SUV and Person of the Year. She loves seeing a new model for the first time, driving it for the first time, and grilling executives for the stories behind them. In her spare time, she loves to swim, boat, sauna, and then jump into a cold lake or pile of snow.
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