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Over the past few weeks, Fiat Chrysler and Jeep have been in the news quite a bit. Sergio Marchionne, FCA’s CEO, is still in search of a merger partner, which could potentially mean spinning off Alfa Romeo and Maserati as a separate company. And while one Chinese automaker reportedly tried to buy the whole company recently, that offer was apparently too low. And at the center of many of these deals is one brand—Jeep. Why? Because it could easily be a major automaker all on its own.

Bloomberg reports that in the next year, FCA expects Jeep sales to increase 30 percent worldwide, approximately 2 million units in total. That’s up significantly compared to its approximately 300,000 deliveries in 2009. But Marchionne has told analysts he eventually sees that number more than tripling, with Jeep potentially selling as many as 7 million vehicles a year. For comparison, Ford delivered approximately 6.7 million units globally in 2016.

Assuming that Jeep’s growth continues to the point it’s able to meet Marchionne’s projections, that would make it one of the biggest brands in the world. Even now, one analyst recently said Jeep is potentially more valuable than all of FCA. No wonder other automakers have shown interest. But according to analyst Maryann Keller, selling Jeep is the last thing FCA needs to do.

“I don’t see how FCA could sell it,” Keller told Bloomberg. “Whatever they got for it would hardly replace what they lost.”

Marchionne seems to be aware that if FCA were to sell Jeep, the remaining company would likely be much less attractive to other potential merger partners. “We do need to worry about the stump that’s left behind,” Marchionne said on a recent earnings call. “If we start picking away all the things that appear to be interesting to people, then I think we’re going to end up with a sub-optimal business that cannot run.”

Source: Bloomberg

The upcoming Jeep Wrangler pickup may end up having a more interesting name than that when it goes on sale late next year. Insiders tell fan site JeepScramblerForum.com that the company is resurrecting the Scrambler name for its new truck.

Jeep has not commented on the report, but did renew its Scrambler trademark in 2015.

The Scrambler was a short-lived Jeep CJ-based two-door pickup that was sold from 1981-1986. Less than 28,000 were built during its six-year run, but it’s become a cult classic over the years. President Reagan even had one that still lives on the Rancho del Cielo property he owned in California alongside his 1963 CJ-6, which is listed in the National Historic Vehicle Register.

LEAK REVEALS 2018 JEEP WRANGLER WILL GET POWER TOP AND ALL-WHEEL-DRIVE

Along with the model name, the forum also got its hands on some details about the new pickup that appeared in the dealer order system. According to the info, it will be available with either a three-piece removable hardtop or a Sunrider soft top, just like the Wrangler Unlimited four-door it’s based on, and will be available with a 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. No other engines are yet listed, but the system may not be fully up to date.

 (Chris Doane Automotive)

Separately, the forum also posted what it claims is the CAD data for the pickup’s frame, which indicates that it will be about a yard longer than the Wrangler Unlimited. A supposition supported by images of prototypes of the vehicle caught testing on public roads.

The all-new Wrangler is scheduled to be officially unveiled later this year (likely around the time of the Los Angeles Auto Show in November,) with the pickup following it at the end of 2018.

Credit: Fox News T