Jeep J8: Production Version Revealed in Germany

The final production version of Jeep’s J8 military vehicle was revealed at the “Euro Jeep Camp 2008”, a customer event that took place in Northern Germany this week. Jeep had shown a pre-production version of the Wrangler Unlimited based J8 at the DSEi military trade show in the UK last September. Powered by a 2.8-litre four-pot turbo-diesel engine that produces 150Hp and 400 Nm (295 lb.-ft.) of torque, the J8 is designed to meet the needs of both non-government organisations and government agencies. -Continued

In order to withstand heavy duty use, Jeep’s engineers reinforced the Wrangler frame allowing greater payloads – up to a maximum of 1,250 kg (2,756 lbs.). Other improvements include the Dana 60 rear axle with heavy duty brake discs and a new air-intake system with special filtration and a hood-mounted air inlet that enables the J8 to ford water up to 762 mm (30 in.) deep and operate in sandstorm conditions for up to five hours.

Jeep offers the J8 as a two-door truck with an extended pickup bed or a four-door multipurpose vehicle. However, the J8 can be produced with numerous vehicle-body and seating configurations in either right-hand or left-hand drive. For example, the two-door version can be configured as a personnel carrier seating up to eight passengers

The Jeep J8 will be produced in the Chrysler LLC joint-venture facility in Cairo, Egypt, and will be available from July 2008. And no, Chrysler does not plan to offer the J8 through dealers to civilian customers.