Jeep unveils first of 12 special edition cars to be released next year
Starting with this special Wrangler, Jeep plans to release 12 limited edition vehicles over the next year.
USA TODAY car
- Jeep is launching a 12-month promotional campaign, promising 12 limited edition vehicles.
- First up for sale is a purple Wrangler Moab 392 with a HEMI under the hood.
- The social media campaign accompanying the project will feature AI-generated visuals.
Jeep is beginning a year-long cycle of “airdropping” a video game-inspired limited edition vehicle once a month for the next 12 months.
The campaign, which Jeep is calling both “Operation Airdrop” and “Twelve for Twelve” in promotional materials, will introduce a new limited edition Jeep once a month on the 12th of each month for the next 12 months.
Jeep said the campaign will run on social media using AI-generated visuals provided by Chicago-based advertising firm 1986 Studio. Jeep has previously collaborated with 1986 Studios on at least two AI-assisted video ads.
It’s big, purple, and has a HEMI.
The first vehicle in the program, launched Wednesday (November 12), is a purple Moab Wrangler with a 392 cubic inch 6.4-liter HEMI V8 under the hood.
Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said the high-performance off-roader was “designed with a no-frills, back-to-basics philosophy.”
The Moab Wrangler starts at $79,995 plus $1,995 destination charge and has 470 horsepower. Jeep says the cabin is designed to feel upscale and high-tech, contrasting with the 35-inch all-terrain tires and snout-like cold air intake at the top of the hood.
Jeep, like other brands in Stellantis’ portfolio such as Ram and Dodge, is signaling that the days of gas-guzzling, rumbling engines are far from over as it ramps up its approach to electrification under a less regulated government.
“Our community made their voices heard and we listened,” Broderdorf said in a news release. “The 6.4-liter HEMI V8 will continue to be a defining part of the Jeep lineup.”
12 Months Limited Edition Jeep
Jeep continues its “Twelve 4 Twelve” program with the debut of its next limited edition Jeep on December 12th. Alongside this promotion is a social media marketing campaign called “Operation Airdrop,” which is currently being promoted on Jeep’s website and features visuals of wooden crates parachuting toward the ground over the desert.
Orders can also be placed online and are accepted throughout the month. Jeep did not reveal whether there will be specific production numbers for each Jeep.
Jeep said the online marketing campaign will utilize AI-generated visuals. The brand says each video release includes a hint of next month’s “airdrop.”
The “airdrop” motif is not a nod to the information transfer capabilities of Apple products, but rather an ode to Jeep’s military heritage.
“While the term ‘airdrop’ may have a very different meaning today, for the Jeep brand it recognizes a defining moment for the brand: the Willys MB’s parachute descent onto the battlefield nearly 85 years ago,” Olivier Francois, Stellantis’ global chief marketing officer, said in a news release. “No other car brand in America has such a long history.”
Stephanie Brinley, associate director of auto intelligence at S&P Global Mobility, said she believes the Operation Airdrop program is a smart way for Jeep to generate buzz for the brand while catering to one of the auto industry’s most loyal consumer groups.
“They’re leaning more towards the community and trying to build a bigger atmosphere,” Brinley said of Jeep’s approach, adding that a curated social media campaign that promotes not just one model but multiple Jeep vehicles allows Jeep to demonstrate its engineering prowess and attract loyal Jeep fans.
“It looks really well thought out and it looks like it has legs,” Brinley said. “I think it’s a really great move.”
Jeep lowered prices on nearly all of its vehicles last year, hoping to win back buyers turned away by steady price increases over the past five years.
Jeep prices have increased dramatically over the past five years, according to data from Cox Automotive. The brand’s average transaction price went from $37,771 in 2019, just below the market average, to $54,811 in 2024, more than $6,000 above the industry average.
The jump in prices may have alienated some buyers, and Brinley said a limited number of niche models could still be sold at more affordable prices, helping Jeep regain consumer confidence in its pricing. In announcing the Moab Wrangler, Jeep officials said the premium, upgraded product’s price tag of about $80,000 was designed to let Jeep buyers know they can expect more bang for their buck when they buy a Jeep.
“(The Moab Wrangler) is a premium product. They justified the price,” Brinley said, adding that Jeep’s price restructuring is aimed at rebuilding customer loyalty.
“We don’t know what will happen with all 12 special editions, but it gives (Jeep) an opportunity to not only put the Moab 392 at the top of the line, but also create some clever special editions that are more affordable,” Brinley said. “Not everything has to be an $80,000 car, and it probably won’t be.”
Liam Rapley covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
