By Christopher Smith, Motor1.com
Here’s a bit of disappointing news for nostalgic Jeep fans eagerly awaiting a new Scrambler pickup. Don’t worry, there’s still a Jeep truck coming, but according to a post over at JeepScramblerForum.com it won’t be called the Scrambler. Instead, it appears the new off-roader will adopt a tougher name – Gladiator. Apparently, the name appeared briefly on FCA’s media website, where an eagle-eyed individual saw it. According to the forum post, that section of the site was quickly taken down but not before this screenshot was allegedly grabbed.
We’ve reached out to Jeep for a comment on this, and we’ll certainly plug in an update if we receive one. The screengrab certainly looks like FCA’s media website, and there is legitimate Jeep history with the Gladiator name to support this news. It was used on Jeep pickups through the 1960s, and the name was also resurrected for the Jeep Gladiator concept truck back in 2005.
Furthermore, JeepScramblerForum.com cites a “trusted” source as confirming the information to be accurate. In fact, the Scrambler forum is already planning a name change in a couple of days to reflect the new name. The forum also says it got confirmation on Gladiator submodels, specifically the Sport, Overland, and Rubicon. In other words, it sounds like this could be the real deal.
Still, we must proceed unofficially until we get confirmation from Jeep proper, because admittedly it wouldn’t be tough to pull off an altered photo like the one above. In any case, we won’t have to wait long for an official word because this highly-anticipated pickup is slated to debut in just over two weeks at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Whether it’s indeed called Gladiator, or something else, we expect it will be worth the wait.
Furthermore, JeepScramblerForum.com cites a “trusted” source as confirming the information to be accurate. In fact, the Scrambler forum is already planning a name change in a couple of days to reflect the new name. The forum also says it got confirmation on Gladiator submodels, specifically the Sport, Overland, and Rubicon. In other words, it sounds like this could be the real deal.
Still, we must proceed unofficially until we get confirmation from Jeep proper, because admittedly it wouldn’t be tough to pull off an altered photo like the one above. In any case, we won’t have to wait long for an official word because this highly-anticipated pickup is slated to debut in just over two weeks at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Whether it’s indeed called Gladiator, or something else, we expect it will be worth the wait.
