Jeep says the growing number of similar off-roaders and copycat design elements in the automotive market does not dilute the U.S. off-road brand’s identity, but rather forces Jeep to double down on its core DNA.
Speaking to Australian media at the 2026 Easter Jeep Safari in MoabUtah, Jeep vice president of exterior design Vince Galante said the problem is now bigger than a few obvious copycats from India or China.
“I think everyone has gotten tougher, like everyone has red or orange tow hooks,” Mr. Galante said.
Instead of seeing this as a threat, he said it has had the opposite effect at Jeep, as the trend “encourages us” and “motivates us” because ruggedness “is authentic to us.”
“It encourages me to lean forward more… (but) I also don’t want to get stuck,” Mr. Galante said.
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According to Mr. Galante, a Jeep’s authenticity is less about retro styling cues and more about whether a vehicle still behaves the way a Jeep should.
“If it works well and is still a tool and does all the Jeep stuff, no questions asked, and it talks to the owners and the community,” he said.
Although we admit that models like this Ford Bronco have pushed Jeep to work even harder on its future models, Mr Galante said owner feedback was very important to his design team.
“I love hearing what owners think as designers,” he said. “Sometimes I’m appalled (at the custom modifications), but it’s theirs and they’ve made it their own. And I love that.”
He said Jeep is watching closely when bolder ideas divide opinion rather than trying to build a bland consensus.
“I go through all the forums. I read all the comments. I want to know what people think,” he said.
“Half of them were like…this is the best thing ever. Sign me up. I want it. And half of them were like…this is terrible. I hate it. Some people love them. Some people hate the same thing (and) that’s okay.”
This willingness to provoke a response while rooting in performance appears to be central to Jeep’s evolution as more brands move into the lifestyle 4×4 space.
“I think because we stayed true to our roots, that’s why it lasted so long, you know?” said Mr. Galante.
This philosophy is especially important when it comes to icons like that Jeep Wrangler.
“I have respect for the Wrangler, just like I have respect for the Porsche 911,” Mr. Galante said, suggesting that changing the Wrangler’s underlying concept the way Land Rover did with the Defender seems unlikely.
If a future Wrangler were to take a major step forward in design, he believes it won’t be because Jeep wants change for the sake of change.
“…it’s going to happen for these reasons, not that I want it to look different,” he said, pointing to changes that will make it “so much more powerful” or “so much more flexible for people to modify it.”
For the company’s chief designer, that remains the dividing line between a Jeep and the growing number of vehicles that adopt its look.
“…it will be function driving form rather than form driving function,” Mr. Galante said.
The current Jeep Wrangler (JL series) is the fourth generation of its nameplate and celebrated its public debut at the end of 2017. At the historical rate at which a new model is released approximately every decade, this suggests that a new model should be prepared for unveiling towards the end of next year, before entering production, probably by 2028.
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