The 2020 Jeep Gladiator, touted by manufacturer Fiat Chrysler as the only open-air pickup truck in the industry, is expected to attract a big crowd when it rolls into the First Hawaiian International Auto Show later this week.
It is Jeep’s first pickup since 1993 and is making a stopover in Hawaii at a time when light trucks are holding a commanding 67.9 percent share of the state’s vehicle market. The four-door, five-passenger Gladiator, a midsize pickup that closely resembles the Wrangler, has removable roof panels, a fold-down windshield, a towing capacity of up to 7,650 pounds and a 5-foot-long bed that can hold 1,600 pounds.
The Gladiator debuted in November at the Los Angeles Auto Show and is scheduled to go on sale in the second quarter of this year with pricing to start slightly above the four-door Wrangler’s $31,445, according to Kelley Blue Book. A six-speed manual transmission is standard on all Gladiator models, and an eight-speed automatic transmission is optional.
Tim Kuniskis, head of Jeep Brand-North America, said the Gladiator, which has a 3.6-liter V-6 engine, “combines rugged utility, versatility and functionality resulting in the most capable midsize truck ever.”
The Sport, Sport S and Overland models have a ride height similar to other midsize pickups, while the Rubicon model has a higher ground clearance.
Motor Trend Auto Shows, which produces the First Hawaiian event as well as others across the country, said the Gladiator has been one its most popular attractions.
“There’s nothing like it out there,” TrueCar analyst Eric Lyman told Bloomberg News. “A lot of people are going to look at it and say, ‘Wow, that’s the coolest truck I’ve ever seen.’”
The 41st annual auto show begins its three-day run beginning at noon Friday at the Hawai‘i Convention Center. Altogether, the newest models of cars, crossover utility vehicles, trucks, SUVs, luxury cars and classics will be among more than 350 vehicles showcased at the event.
For the first time at the show, electric vehicle test drives will be held from the convention center’s porte-cochere. Showgoers who take test drives will be accompanied by EV product experts brought in by Motor Trend.
The show also will offer the latest in automobile technology.
“(It) will amaze showgoers who haven’t been to a show in a while,” said Dave Rolf, executive director of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association.
Also on hand will be a collection of multimillion-dollar exotic vehicles from Ferrari, Maserati and Lamborghini.
The idea for an auto show was floated in 1977 by First Hawaiian’s Walter Dods Jr., then the bank’s executive vice president in the retail banking group but later the chairman and CEO. He secured commitments from some dealers, and the first show was held in the Blaisdell Exhibition Hall in 1978. In 2000 Joe Nicolai, then president of the Hawaii Automobile Dealers Association, helped move the show to the convention center, which had 200,000 square feet of exhibit space, which was about double the size of the 100,000 square feet being used at the Blaisdell, including outside tents.
First Hawaiian continues as the show sponsor, and the Honolulu Star-Advertiser is the media sponsor.
FIRST HAWAIIAN INTERNATIONAL AUTO SHOW
More than 350 vehicles will be on display.
>> When: noon-10 p.m. Friday, 10 a.m.-10 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Sunday
>> Where: Hawai’i Convention Center
>> Admission: $10 for adults and teens (13 and over), $8 for military (with any DOD ID), $7 for seniors (62 and older), free for kids (12 and younger)
>> Parking: On-site paid parking garage
>> Military two-fer Saturday: Buy one $8 military admission, get one free (both military IDs needed)
>> Electric vehicle test drives: 1-6 p.m. Friday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday
>> Website: autoshowhawaii.com
ON THE MOVE
Hilton Waikoloa Village has announced that Wendle Lesher has been appointed the resort’s new food and beverage director. He has more than 20 years of hospitality experience on the Big Island, including as a director of food and beverage at Mauna Kea Resort as well as director of operations at Fairmont Orchid Hawaii.
The Queen’s Medical Center has announced that Scott Morrice was named “2018 Employee of the Year.” He has been with Queen’s for 19 years and is a mental health occupational therapist for the hospital’s Queen’s Day Treatment Services, which cares for the chemically addicted as well as psychiatrically ill and dually diagnosed patients in an outpatient setting.
Bank of Hawaii has announced that Irene E.B. Kwan was promoted to senior vice president and chief fiduciary officer from vice president and audit consultant in the bank’s Credit & Risk/Enterprise Operational Risk Division. Kwan first joined Bank of Hawaii in 2001 as a senior auditor, then was promoted to vice president and audit consultant of the bank’s Internal Audit Department. Kwan has more than 20 years of wealth management and fiduciary risk audit experience, including in leadership roles at Ernst & Young and Central Pacific Bank.
