It’s the middle of March, time for a quick Brute Double Cab update, so we asked AEV’s President and Lead Designer Dave Harriton about the project recently. Here’s what he said:
“The Brute Double Cab we showed at SEMA ‘11 was built from a combination of production and prototype parts, and while it came together great for the show, it was far from a production model. Fast forward a few months, and the first parts of the final sheetmetal for the cab have just hit my desk for review, and I’m happy to report that they look great. We recently started building Brute #2 in Missoula, cutting our beloved Savegre in two. This build will be completely production-intent, and will be used to finalize all of the production components. From there the action shifts to our Wixom, MI facility where work will begin shortly on Brute #3. This build will be used to develop the vehicle build process that will be used for production volumes.
The most significant development work remaining revolves around fine-tuning the chassis and the suspension. Chassis development is being finalized right now, and once that is dialed in we can turn our attention to the suspension. Because of the changes in wheelbase and weight, our standard four door rear JK spring doesn’t deliver the level of ride and handling that we want on the Brute Double Cab, so we are developing a new rear spring specifically for the Brute. This will enable us to tweak the ride, frequency and load capacity specifically for the Brute Double Cab.”
Based on our current development timeline combined with production lead times on some of the critical components, we are shifting our projection for production launch from mid year to the fourth quarter. The response to the Brute Double Cab has been fantastic, and we already have a long and growing waiting list. The initial launch will be opened up first to current owners of AEV vehicles as well as to AEV’s network of certified Jeep dealers, and then to the general public after that. To get your name on the waiting list, please contact Jeff Clark at 248-926-0256 x217. We expect to release pricing on the Brute Double Cab this summer.
Be sure to stop by AEV’s booth at the Moab Easter Jeep Safari to see the Brute Double Cab in person. We’ll be set up in the same spot as last year, in the parking lot of the Carquest on MainSt.
