George Polgar

A fall 2020 advance preview of the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer at a Brooklyn waterfront event left me thinking … if they could put out a vehicle half as impressive as these prototypes, they’d have a serious shot at a share of the big SUV trade. Fast forward 6 years and the promise of the new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer series has been successful in planting a familiar flag in the competitive and lucrative full sized SUV segment.

After the pandemic hiatus last year, the 120 year-old Philadelphia Auto Show rolled back into the Pennsylvania Convention Center this week leaner in terms of overall size but with a renewed sense of purpose. Long a national bellwether of auto sales trends, in 2020 some 45% of attendees of the Philly Auto Show bought a car within 12 months. These stats are expected to soar this year as consumer demand outstrips vehicle supply.

Digging into what motivates younger generations to purchase their next car. There is a lot of talk about how to motivate Millennial and Generation Z prospects to be more engaged in the automobile marketplace. Companies are creating apps, subscription programs, flashy color combos and dazzling onboard tech, designed to capture the hearts, minds, and wallets of young consumers.