Spied: SEMA concept to preview production Jeep pickup?

The Gladiator concept pickup may be dead, but it appears Jeep is taking another approach toward adding a pickup truck to its lineup. According to Chrysler COO Eric Ridenour, the Gladiator was axed because it required its own unique platform. A production Jeep truck, if approved, would have to be a vehicle based on an existing body-on-frame architecture.

And that brings us to the funky Wrangler-based pickup prototype the spies at KGP Photography spotted in Detroit, as it was being transported between two off-site facilities for final assembly work. DaimlerChrysler has taken the cab of a Jeep Wrangler and raised its raised roof with thin safari-inspired window slits, giving this truck a uniquely vintage greenhouse shape. A new hood incorporates a grab handle, elongated blisters and a mesh grille most likely designed to allow heat to escape the engine bay. Makes sense, since there is one 5.7-liter HEMI V8 stuffed inside.

Set for an introduction at the SEMA show in about a week, this new pickup concept reportedly consists of two variations. Sources familiar with the strategy say DaimlerChrysler hopes to produce these pickups in small volumes at the Viper Plant, using mechanicals from the 2007 Wrangler, while aftermarket kits will also be made available to fit previous-generation Wranglers.