Each year, the Detroit Free Press awards one automobile brand the prestigious “Automotive Difference Maker” Award, which honors the brand for innovation and overall performance within the industry. This year, the “Difference Maker” Award went to Jeep Brand on the heels of one of its most profitable years to date.
“Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ recovery from Chapter 11 bankruptcy simply would not have been possible without the rapid global expansion of the Jeep brand,” the Detroit Free Press judges wrote. “In 2015, FCA sold more than 1.2 million Jeep SUVs worldwide, marking the fourth consecutive year that the brand sold the most vehicles in its history and its sixth consecutive year of sales increases.
When you look at his accomplishments, Jeep Brand Head Mike Manley is a shoe-in for the award. In 2015, the Manly-led Jeep Brand saw global vehicle sales increase 22 percent to a record 1,237,583 units. Sales in the United States alone increased 25 percent to a record 865,028 units. In Europe, the Middle East and Africa, sales increased 56 percent and a whopping 135 percent in Latin America.
“Mike Manley, Head of the Jeep Brand, has overseen product introductions here in North America and in Brazil, China and Italy,” the judges continued. “Meanwhile, the Jeep team has reimagined the look of Jeep’s best-selling nameplates, starting with the redesigned Grand Cherokee in 2010, the Jeep Cherokee in 2014 and the Jeep Renegade in 2015. Last year, the cute yet rugged Renegade was an instant hit in Europe, South America and the United States – giving Jeep a new nameplate that promises to be a pillar of growth for years to come.”
Perhaps the smartest decision Manley made for Jeep Brand was to transition the brand into more of a global presence. Manly did this by making jeep more available in two of the world’s largest countries, beginning local manufacturing of Jeep vehicles in Brazil, and resuming local manufacturing of Jeep vehicles in China following a ten-year hiatus.