As part of our ongoing series of giving our fans an inside look at the men and women behind the Jeep® brand, we recently gathered around the table and chatted with two of the folks responsible for the new 2012 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition. Chris Ellis, who heads up product marketing at the Jeep brand, and Becky Blanchard, who has the envious job of Wrangler brand manager, were kind enough to take time out of their busy schedules a couple of weeks ago to answer some of our questions.
Jeep brand blog: Thank you for taking time with us today to give us an inside look into the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition. Before we get started, can you tell us a little about your background and roles and responsibilities working for the Jeep brand?
CE: “I started out with another car company before coming to work for Chrysler. When I came to work for Chrysler, I headed up the business in Japan for many years and Jeep is a very important part of our business there. In Japan, the American vehicles that do very well are the iconic models and of course, Jeep nameplates are a few of them. When I came stateside two years ago, I was assigned the Jeep Wrangler and Liberty nameplates. In my current role, I am accountable for the current Wrangler and Liberty products, which includes sales and profitability, along with the development of future products and input into the product planning process.
BB: “I’ve been working on Jeep for two years, and prior to that I had numerous roles during the 14 years I’ve been with Chrysler. I originally started in engineering, then moved to product planning and then to the brand team. My goal as the Wrangler brand manager is to meet or exceed all of our customer’s expectations. By the way, of all the nameplates I’ve worked on, the Wrangler is my favorite.”
Jeep brand blog: The Jeep Wrangler has very loyal fans that are passionate about the vehicle and the Jeep vehicle lifestyle. How much of this, along with the tremendous amount of heritage the brand has, was used when bringing the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition to life?
CE: “In terms of the original partnership with Activision and the Call of Duty franchise, we saw a very close tie with our military heritage. We also have a close tie with our customers and their lifestyles. Therefore, the sponsorship made sense. With this being the second Call of Duty buzzmodel, we wanted to reflect the changes we heard from fans last year and make the vehicle bigger and better.”
Jeep brand blog: What was the inspiration for the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition?
BB: “A lot of the inspiration came from the Jeep brand’s heritage with military endeavors, but we also wanted to use our partnership with Activision to attract younger customers to the Jeep brand. The cadence of having unique buzzmodels over the years has really worked well to attract new customers into the showroom.”
CE: “Last year’s Call of Duty buzzmodel was the first one in which we incorporated vehicle integration into a video game, and it was very successful. The vehicle has to be ultimately capable throughout the videogame, so we wanted to reflect that ultimate capability in real life too. That’s why we used the Rubicon model as our starting point to create the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition. It will take you places that other vehicles won’t.”
Jeep brand blog: The biggest question our fans would like to have answered is how the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition will differ from the previous model.
BB: “On the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition vehicle, we have engineered a unique hood as well as unique front and rear bumpers – these are only available on the buzzmodel. Some of the parts on this buzzmodel are available aftermarket, but there is no other way to get all of them together right now. The 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition vehicles are built right in Toledo and don’t have to go to a third party “upfitter” to have special parts installed. Our friends at Mopar® also offer a Wrangler suspension package that increases the ride height and enhances the off-road capabilities even more. In regards to our collaboration with Activision, we wanted to give the 2012 model more [of a] modern warfare theme rather than the old school camo look. Our goal was to create more of a high-tech and modern feel to the new vehicle. Our team of designers incorporated the Call of Duty “Special Ops” logo on the vehicles, we decided to showcase a silver exterior color, which captures more of that modern feel, and we even used a black top which contrasts against the silver body color very nicely. Our team is always trying to raise the bar a notch or two every time we reveal a new buzzmodel.”
Jeep brand blog: Aside from the award winning 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine, can you tell us more about the unique features and content within the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition, along with its enhanced functionality and capabilities?
CE: “For both the 2012 Wrangler and the Call of Duty: MW3 Edition vehicles, the axle ratio has been changed due to the enhanced power and torque of the new 3.6L Pentastar V6 engine. This has allowed us to use the 3.73 axle as standard equipment while making the 4.10 optional on the 2012 Wranglers. Also, since the engine has 40% more horsepower and 10% more torque, the Wrangler’s 0-60 mph times have increased by three-seconds. The gas mileage has also been improved by over two mpg. What’s nice is the new model with the 3.73 axle ratio has a much better crawl ratio than the 2011 Wrangler with a 4.10 axle ratio. Of course, the 2012 Rubicon still includes Dana 44 axles, sway bar disconnect system and front and rear lockers for extreme off road capability.”
Jeep brand blog: How important is it to maintain the authenticity around the Call of Duty theme?
BB: “Jeep lends itself to authenticity, so from that point it was easy to extend it to the game. It’s very important to Activision, and of course to us too, so it’s been a fulfilling partnership. We also were involved in how the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition was showcased in the game to make sure that the way the product was moving throughout each level was accurate and a good representation of how the vehicle moves through twists and turns; over obstacles in real life.”
CE: “It’s very important to them (Activision) as they have a very successful franchise and it’s based on authenticity. The last thing they want to do is something that looks and feels like a product placement. This is an integration that makes total sense. Authenticity is very important to both of our brands.”
Jeep brand blog: Tell us a little about the collaboration between the Jeep brand and Activision and how the brands worked together on the 2012 Jeep Wrangler Call of Duty: Edition vehicle.
CE: “Our designers worked closely together since October of last year, just after the launch of last year’s vehicle. We went to the Product Committee in April, where the buzzmodel was officially approved. It was a time consuming process, we could have used even more time to perfect everything.
Jeep brand blog: How much “buzz” do you feel the 2012 Wrangler Call of Duty: MW3 Edition buzzmodel will receive from gaming fans?
BB: “We received quite a few orders rather quickly, and the buzz that was built up around the model was great. Since this vehicle is a limited edition Wrangler and because of the tie-in with Call of Duty, we anticipate the demand to exceed the availability. Interest from both Jeep and Call of Duty: MW3 fans combined will really generate a ton of buzz for this vehicle. We will offer both silver and black exterior color options for consumers, (based on dealer orders) with the first 60 vehicles off the line being silver since that is the exterior color of the vehicle featured within the Call of Duty: MW3 game.”
Jeep brand blog: Is there another “level” for the Wrangler COD Edition in the future?
CE: “Yes, but we don’t comment on future products! Regardless of Call of Duty, there are more things we want to do with the Wrangler nameplate. We want to offer more of the high-performance/off-road parts out of the factory – the Call of Duty program helped us do that. We always want to satisfy our current customers even more, and even reach consumers who we’ve never been able to reach before. Finally and most importantly, we will stay true to the brand.”