Salvagedcircuit Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 A bloke on reddit revealed what appears to be the "slate auto" prototype truck. It is likely nothing other than a shell with wheels, which is common for first prototypes (the bmw i3 did this, and many others). I found it through the autopian which is an excellent publication. I can't help but notice the striking similarity to the Comanche. The slightly larger cab bump. The front rectangular grill with the side lights. The incredibly boxy and simple design. More importantly: Stellantis, wake up someone's going to out Jeep you! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 I wonder if that is one of the new Alpha Motor Cars pickups. I think it’s called the Wolf or something. I do wish there were more compact trucks on the market. Stuff like the new Ford Maverick. For what most people use a truck for, they’re great. https://www.alphamotorinc.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gjeep Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 Once I got past the internal rant in my head about it -- I realized it's not too shabby looking. Nice and simple. In the end, not for me. I'll stick with the 4.0L. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 20 minutes ago, Gjeep said: Once I got past the internal rant in my head about it -- I realized it's not too shabby looking. Nice and simple. In the end, not for me. I'll stick with the 4.0L. To me, it’s still a little blah. I’m right there with you, the 4.0 is perfect for what I use it for, so there’s no reason to downgrade to something new. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 39 minutes ago, 89 MJ said: To me, it’s still a little blah. I’m right there with you, the 4.0 is perfect for what I use it for, so there’s no reason to downgrade to something new. Fair enough, but it would be a good proving ground for the Hurricane I4 if they really wanted to put it in something useful ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted April 10 Share Posted April 10 2 minutes ago, Salvagedcircuit said: Fair enough, but it would be a good proving ground for the Hurricane I4 if they really wanted to put it in something useful ... Uhhh that’s my engine. Haha. It would be the hurricane 6 now. The I4 is know as the ‘tiger shark’. The hell kind of name is that anyways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted April 10 Author Share Posted April 10 Haha my mistake. I meant the hurricane i6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 5 hours ago, 89 MJ said: I wonder if that is one of the new Alpha Motor Cars pickups. I think it’s called the Wolf or something. I do wish there were more compact trucks on the market. Stuff like the new Ford Maverick. For what most people use a truck for, they’re great. https://www.alphamotorinc.com I strongly considered a Maverick when deciding if I should buy my Comanche. In the end, the longer bed and shorter length of the truck due to single cab sold me on the Comanche. If Ford had offered the Maverick with a stick, I probably would have bought one instead. This little electric truck looks great and does have some MJ vibes. I'd say the bed is about 6 inches short behind the wheels, but I'd rock that truck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted April 11 Share Posted April 11 28 minutes ago, pizzaman09 said: I strongly considered a Maverick when deciding if I should buy my Comanche. In the end, the longer bed and shorter length of the truck due to single cab sold me on the Comanche. If Ford had offered the Maverick with a stick, I probably would have bought one instead. This little electric truck looks great and does have some MJ vibes. I'd say the bed is about 6 inches short behind the wheels, but I'd rock that truck! When the Maverick first came out, I really didn't care for it at all. A close family friend of ours has one and I had to help him move some stuff, so I've put some miles on the Maverick. I have to say, what a fantastic little truck. Over 12,000 miles, the thing averaged 28 mpg, mostly in town and idling. Its not one of the hybrid ones either. Its the regular gasser with AWD. Plus the thing has really good power. Visibility is decent for a new vehicle, it rides nicely, and the seats are comfortable. I didn't care for the transmission shifter much, but that's a minor deal in my opinion. Of course, I also don't need a super short bed and 4 doors either. A 6 speed in them would've been nice. I don't think I like them enough to want to buy a new one, but if one with some collision damage came up for sale for the right price, I'd buy one to use as a beater. You're absolutely correct, that EV pickup definitely needs more bed behind the wheels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinnakerblue89 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 It does indeed resemble a modern MJ, and I even saw it today thinking it. But as I understand it, this is the new electric truck from Jeff Bezos' company. I'll automatically pass on electric and I don't care for 4-cylinders at all, especially modern ones. Nothing against the 2.5, by the way. Totally respect that engine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeff351 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 Funny, this popped up on my homepage (MSN something) at work today and I wondered how long it would take for this forum to catch on. At first glance it looks like someone did a Jeep Renegade conversion to an MJ. I do like the size and the shape/design. I'm not against EV at all, but can't justify a high cost since I have a very short commute to work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pizzaman09 Posted April 12 Share Posted April 12 11 hours ago, jeff351 said: Funny, this popped up on my homepage (MSN something) at work today and I wondered how long it would take for this forum to catch on. At first glance it looks like someone did a Jeep Renegade conversion to an MJ. I do like the size and the shape/design. I'm not against EV at all, but can't justify a high cost since I have a very short commute to work. My thoughts exactly on style, it's a Renegade, MJ mashup, which is pretty awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Htchevyii Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 It looks like a Range Rover and Ford Ranger had a baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neohic Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 26 minutes ago, Htchevyii said: It looks like a Range Rover and Ford Ranger had a baby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 Not a fan of any “truck” where the cab and bed are one piece . But I like where this is going. If Jeep came out with a maverick contender, that would be a neat idea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted April 16 Author Share Posted April 16 2 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: Not a fan of any “truck” where the cab and bed are one piece . But I like where this is going. If Jeep came out with a maverick contender, that would be a neat idea. You know, I didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. The concept of impossibly huge fenders instead of just a separate bed is a foolish one. This is the same problem rivian has with their pickups and the absurd cost of rear fender repair. The design language seems to be very rivian like, and makes me doubt this is from anyone other than rivian. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ghetdjc320 Posted April 16 Share Posted April 16 1 hour ago, Salvagedcircuit said: You know, I didn't even notice that until you mentioned it. The concept of impossibly huge fenders instead of just a separate bed is a foolish one. This is the same problem rivian has with their pickups and the absurd cost of rear fender repair. The design language seems to be very rivian like, and makes me doubt this is from anyone other than rivian. It’s also the same design as the Honda Pilot and Ford Maverick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eagle Posted April 17 Share Posted April 17 7 hours ago, ghetdjc320 said: Not a fan of any “truck” where the cab and bed are one piece . But I like where this is going. If Jeep came out with a maverick contender, that would be a neat idea. Nah. If they do, it will be full of gimmicks, and the base price will be double what it should be. Because Stellantis has zero understanding of the Jeep marque. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89 MJ Posted yesterday at 04:36 AM Share Posted yesterday at 04:36 AM Turns out it’s called the Slate truck. And supposedly it’ll cost under 20k. https://youtu.be/kWq3jhxOWUI?si=dsJUqelMLC4QRImZ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salvagedcircuit Posted yesterday at 05:35 AM Author Share Posted yesterday at 05:35 AM I just saw this! Did you see the released marketing materials? They 100% lifted the stripe from the comanche! I have to say, if they manage to make this 20k, it's gonna sell like hot cakes because: Price Simplicity Ride Height. The scion xb sold extremely well to older folks because they could get into/out of it easily. This is not a comanche competitor by any means though. The Slate pickup can tow 1,000lbs and has a 1,433lb payload. Oof, that's low. In comparison, the maverick has 2000lbs/4000lbs towing and 1400-1500lb payload. The bed is the same size as the gladiator. So any 6ft truck has more utility than this. It's more like a modern modular gimped XJ. The MJ & XJ can tow 5000lbs though :/ The suspension has not been discussed in detail yet so the verdict is out. It makes me sad that Jeep, who put the utility in SUV, is being completely washed out by this. They could have owned this modular utility vehicle market but instead they are just going to relabel a fiat and call it a jeep again. This is what should have preceded the XJ (albeit more capability), regardless if it was gas or electric. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RustyRodder Posted 23 hours ago Share Posted 23 hours ago I dig this- especially because the same base can be kitted as a truck, wrangler-like open air suv thing, closed suv, and slantback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White_Comanche Posted 19 hours ago Share Posted 19 hours ago I hope that the SLATE is very successful, and severely disrupts the momentum of massive, tech-heavy vehicles being produced these days. I'm seeing quite a few Ford Mavericks on the road... even in my small Kansas town. Hope this jump-starts more inexpensive small new trucks being offered. Gas engines please! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted 19 hours ago Share Posted 19 hours ago I’m kinda sold on gettin one of these. $20k for a base bare bones modular truck that looks like an MJ. Slate is also headed by a former Chrysler exec which makes sense for the styling cues of an 80’s truck and the MJ. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White_Comanche Posted 13 hours ago Share Posted 13 hours ago It is a superb looking truck. I too would seriously consider this, if everything aligned. It's an interesting product: Modular to an extreme. I like how the body and finish is designed with wrapping in mind. Clever, actually. This could be the first EV for many. Probably would be a badass runabout. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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