NEW YORK (Reuters) - DaimlerChrysler revealed a design for Jeep pick-up truck concept vehicle on Tuesday. If the company eventually produces a similar vehicle, it would be Jeep's first pick-up since the 1992 model year.
The company revealed sketches of the Gladiator, a prototype Jeep pickup, and a sports car concept called the Chrysler Firepower. The company plans to officially unveil both vehicles in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
Jeep's last pick-up, the Comanche, was discontinued after the 1992 model year. The company produced a pick-up called the Gladiator in the 1960s, but the Gladiator concept strongly resembles the Willys pick-up of the 1940s and '50s, made by Willys-Overland, the company that made the original Jeeps.
The Gladiator concept is called a "Flexible Utility Truck," according to the company, and features a expandable truck bed and a removable rear seat cushion. The top is open and covered by a removable canvas tarp. The truck is designed to have the capabilities of a the Wrangler, Jeep's spartan off-roader.
The Firepower concept is a two-seat "grand tourer" based on the Dodge Viper. It would be powered by the company's 6.1 liter Hemi V-8 engine, the company said. It has a tinted glass roof extending all the way to the rear liftgate.
The name FirePower was used for Chrysler's first V-8 engines in the 1950s. Similar engines were later given the name "Hemi" for the fact that the tops of the cylinders were hemispherical, a shape which increased efficiency and power.
The sketches are of concept vehicles, the company said, and no plans for production have been announced.
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