Remember when you were eight years old, and you finally got to go to your first big auto show? The sights, the sounds, the oddly-musty smell of the convention center — all incredible, memorable experiences. There’s one, though, that stands above them all: Camp Jeep. Contrary to reports, the iconic Camp Jeep isn't disappearing any time soon; Stellantis is just getting more selective about where it'll debut its products.
Camp Jeep is a nearly 20-year-old auto show tradition, beloved by all, where the folks at the Church of the Seven-Slat Grille build a roller coaster track in the parking lot (or inside, given enough floorspace) and then drive you through it in various Trail-Rated vehicles. You may have also heard that Camp Jeep is dead, a relic of a bygone age, but word from Stellantis now say that might not be true.
The story started when Stellantis spoke with Automotive News Canada, and said it was throwing in the towel on North American auto shows. In Stellantis’ words, per Automotive News Canada:
“With a focus on preserving business fundamentals to mitigate the impact of a challenging automotive market in North America, Stellantis is working to optimize its marketing strategy as it relates to auto shows,” the automaker said in a statement Jan. 3 to Automotive News Canada.
Instead, the automaker is leaving it up to its dealers to decide to whether to participate in the events.
Those words spread far and wide, but it seems they weren’t meant to extend south of Ontario. Jalopnik reached out to Stellantis for clarification, and was told this by a representative:
With a focus on preserving business fundamentals to mitigate the impact of a challenging U.S. automotive market, Stellantis is working to optimize its marketing strategy as it relates to auto shows.
To be as efficient as possible in our media spend, we are evaluating participation in auto shows on a case-by-case basis, while prioritizing opportunities for consumers to experience our vehicles first-hand.
Stellantis remains committed to building products customers love, ensuring freedom of mobility for all, and becoming second to none in value creation for its employees and all other stakeholders as outlined in the Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan.
The company isn’t exiting auto shows in the States entirely, but seems to be cutting down on the number it will attend. That “case-by-case basis” may include New York but not Detroit, for example. When pressed about Camp Jeep specifically, the representative only added, “we are looking at involvement on a case-by-case basis; that goes for Camp Jeep.”
It seems Camp Jeep may be harder to find in the coming years, but not impossible. The eight-year-olds of today may still be able to experience the nauseating ascent and descent of Jeep Mountain — so long as their local auto show passes Stellantis’s new, stricter tests.