With the new year under way, Jeep owners, enthusiasts and fans alike have been chomping at the bit for the highly anticipated release of the new 2018 Jeep Wrangler JL/JLU. Jeep CEO Michael Manley originally stated the reveal would be in the first half of 2017 but is now saying it is more probable that it will be late in the second half of the year. Bruce Baumhower, president of the United Auto Workers Local 12 and representative of Toledo Jeep workers, recently confirmed via interview with the Toledo Blade that the production of the next-gen Wrangler will be under way in November of this year with pre-production models starting much earlier.

Starting in April of this year, parts of the Toledo plant will be shut down for 6 months in order for the factory to properly retool the assembly lines for the new model. The entire Cherokee production line will be relocated to the Belvidere plant in Illinois, which is where the assembly of the Compass and Patriot came to an end on December 23, 2016. Fiat Chrysler invested roughly $700 million in the Toledo plant to retool for the new JL/JLU. This shutdown will not affect the production of the current JK line of Wranglers. Sources have stated that the current model line might end in March 2018 while others have said it may continue until June, for a full 2018 model year. The concurrent product f the JK and JL models prevents the loss of months of sales from retooling the current line to the new line. After the JK model has run its complete course, the production line will go toward building the additional Wrangler models which will included the patiently awaited Jeep Wrangler pickup truck (JT) as well as diesel and hybrid models.

Don't go shedding tears for the JK model just yet. Jeep still has a few tricks up their sleeves and memorable plans for at least six more special editions of the JK which include the Sport Freedom, Sport Big Bear, Sahara Chief, Sahara Smoky, Sahara Winter and Rubicon Recon.

The beloved JK model is expected to stick around with us a little while longer. The Jeep Wrangler JL/JLU is expected to be revealed in late 2017 and the pickup is expected to debut a year later. Check back here for the latest news and updates for the JL/JLU and pickup!

**Photo Credit for Photos in this Article** JL Wrangler Forums (http://www.jlwranglerforums.com/)