April 29 (UPI) — A white 2018 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon Unlimited rolled off the line Friday in Toledo, Ohio, as the last Wrangler JK produced by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.
The Wrangler JK’s replacement, the JL, was unveiled at last year’s Los Angeles Auto Show and is in production at the Toledo plant. The motor giant also will launch a new Jeep truck next year, both changes are part of a $4.5 billion realignment plan to boost sales.
More than 2.1 million Wrangler JKs have been made since 2006 when production began, bringing a Jeep that was bigger, more modern and offered a four-door model. In 2007 production was up by almost 50 percent as the company built 119,000 units.
The last JK off the line on Friday brought the count to more than two million, being the 2,165,678th Jeep Wrangler JK built.
Brian Sims, Sr., vice chairman of the United Auto Workers Local 12 Jeep Unit, said “it’s bittersweet.”
“Some hate to see it go, but they’re looking forward to working on the new truck, so they got mixed emotions,” Sims said.
The end of the Wrangler JK production will impact 850 company employees and 900 workers at on-site suppliers with temporary lay-offs.
