There are two automotive awards that automakers want to win and not lose. The first is a series from JD Power. The other is Consumer Reports’ annual rating of car brands, the famous testing organization’s overall rating.
Consumer Reports’ rating is based on the magazine’s road tests, safety ratings, reliability and owner satisfaction surveys. The total number of tests each brand undergoes is just over 50.
Consumer Reports’ overall rating includes 31 brands. Each receives a classification with a numerical score. In first place is Subaru with an overall score of 82.
After some consideration in the subcategory scores, BMW came in second with a score of 82. Jeep is at the bottom of the rankings with its problems. The Stellatis division achieved a score of 48.
One of Jeep’s problems is sales. In 2019, 923,000 vehicles were sold, compared to just 588,000 last year. Another problem is the relationship with dealers, who have difficulty selling the brand’s models.
According to CNBC, inventory levels are extremely high. “Jeep had the longest delivery lead time of any major brand except Ford’s Lincoln, at 146 days in October.
The industry average for supply days, which calculates the number of days dealers have inventory based on recent sales, was 88 days,” the business cable channel reports.
To its advantage, Jeep has something that most successful brands have: a wide selection of models based on price.
The Compass is its cheapest model, with an MSRP of $28,995. At the top of the price range is the Grand Wagoneer with a base MSRP of $84,945.
The top-of-the-line Grand Wagoneer model, the Obsidian Series III has a base price of $109,450. This puts it in direct competition with the Range Rover, which costs $113,300.
Jeep has many obstacles on the way up the rankings. In addition to Consumer Reports’ rankings, it also evaluates sales and dealer inventory.