Jeep Bringing Six Concepts to 2026 Easter Safari

It’s that time of the year again, where the big, wide world of Jeep fandom descends on Moab, Utah for the Jeep Easter Safari. Folks will be coming from all over with their customized rigs, their Jeep gear and big smiles for all to see.

That “all” includes Jeep fans and so on, but it also includes Jeep the manufacturer. “We want to push the brad, but we also respect it,” said Vince Galante, Vice President and Global Head of Jeep Design. “We get inspired by the builds that the community has.”

To wit: every year, Jeep brings a handful of concepts to Moab, and many of the details found on those were originally seen on the community’s custom builds. Pretty neat.

This year – the event’s 60^th — is no different, with Jeep bringing six concepts based on their products to the event.

Jeep Grand Wagoneer Commander Concept

We start not with the cult classic Wrangler, but with its biggest sibling (that has the longest name of the group, recalling the last full-size Jeep product we saw before the Grand Wagoneer’s rebirth), the full-size Jeep Grand Wagoneer.

The goal here was to think about off-roading, to be sure – this is a Jeep, after all – but to do it with a nod to the various premium features the Grand Wagoneer provides. So, they’ve given it a big roof-mounted light bar from Baja Designs, 35-inch tires wrapped around dark 20” wheels, custom skid plates and side graphics that feature a topographical map of the Cayonlands National Park, where the event takes place.

“We wanted to take a look at (the Grand Wagoneer) through the lens of what an aftermarket upfitter would look like,” said Chris Piscitelli from Jeep Design.

The interior remains unchanged in an effort to blend the tough and luxury aspects of the truck.

It does appear, though, that we’ll have to wait just a little longer for them to bring back the famous “woody” version of the Grand Wagoneer…

Jeep Wrangler Laredo Concept

If you’re going to talk about special Jeeps, we won’t be talking long before the Wrangler “enters the chat”, as it were.

For this one, we take it all the way back to ’82, and the debut of the Laredo model on the Jeep CJ. For this concept, Jeep has stripped the Wrangler to its quote “essentials”.

“We wanted to go back to when the Jeep was a fun but basic vehicle,” said Piscitelli.

So, they’ve given the Laredo cloth seating (with a neat-o throwback insert graphics), vinyl floor instead of carpeting, and a manual-yes-a-manual gearbox. Other under-the-hood bits include a two-inch lift and 37” BF Goodrich KM3 tires with special retro-style 17” wheels.

Other exterior adds include a manual version of Jeeps’ Sky Slider roof (that’s usually done via a button press) as well as white paint and some properly cool gold-brown graphics. These concepts don’t tend to make production, but this one looks so cool – how can they not build it?!?!

Jeep XJ Pioneer Concept

Fun fact: “XJ”, which was the chassis code of the second-generation Cherokee, stands for “Experimental Jeep”. So, it seems like a natural starting point for a cool concept, right?

Well, Jeep seems to think so but there was a caveat, according to Piscitelli. “Do a Cherokee, but make it more capable and re-think it,” he said.

So, they found a Cherokee is a somewhat working state – the 4.0-litre V6 engine is original – and got to work.

The result is the a 2” lift, disconnecting sway bar, carbon fender flares for improved clearance, custom 17” wheels wrapped in 33” BF Goodrich A/T tires and a cool gold-with-pinstripe paintjob. Whoo-WEE.

Inside, it’s all classic XJ with the panels, steering wheel and seats all keeping their original form. This, however, is a celebration model so to do so, Jeep has included easter eggs such as a cooler shaped like an old Apple computer, a rubiks cube, and taxicab-spec bead mats for the seats. Far out!

Jeep Wrangler ANVIL 715 Concept

This overland-spec Wrangler is a heavy-duty take on what a Wrangler can be, as the brand has turned to the classic ambulance-spec Jeeps of the ‘60s for inspiration. The forward-leaning “rhino” grille is the most obvious nod (and a part Jeep says it got from a custom build seen at Moab), but the subtly forward-sloping fixed roof (with non-opening skylights) is another detail that recalls those older trucks. The yellow headlight lenses are another neat touch. You might say those lights are colured as such as a hint to the Hemi 392 V8 that sits just behind them. Yes; it’s got a Hemi.

More modern mods include heavy duty steel bumpers, forward and rear-facing auxiliary lighting and beefy rubber wrapped around gunmetal wheels.

Inside, there’s an onboard air system for on-the-fly tire adjustments, custom upholstered front and rear seats, big “ANVIL” scripting on the dash ahead of the passenger and bright orange accents.

Jeep Wrangler Buzzcut Concept

Speaking of “orange” – have a look at this bright orange (officially called “Vitamin C Orange”) version of the two-door Wrangler. The name comes from the roof being chopped by two inches, which is matched by a 2” lift so we’ve got a real chopped-top thing going on here.

This particular model really is a showcase for the aftermarket parts available from Jeep’s MOPAR partners. They’ve thrown everything at it but the kitchen sink (actually, there might be on of those somewhere in there as well), including extra wide rock rails, rear bumper step, 37” BFG KM3 rubber and beadlock wheels, grille-mounted TYRI lights, Warn winch, snorkel and – in keeping with the chopped look – flattened fenders all ‘round. Power comes from a 2.0-litre turbo four-cylinder.

Inside, we find orange accents (of course), dash-mounted accessory rail, high back performance seats, locking door storage and Molle panels instead of a rear seat and custom rollbar. Oh, those crazy Jeep folks.

Jeep Gladiator Red Rock

In the case of the one and only Gladiator on this list, there’s a lot in a name.

This one is named after the Red Rock 4-Wheelers, an off-road group that took stewardship of the Easter Safari in 1982,  and continues to maintain the trails and their surroundings to this day.

“These guys are our heroes,” said Piscitelli. “They live this stuff. We asked them ‘if they needed a workhorse, what would that be?’”

That led to the creation of the Red Rock, a Pentastar V6-powered work truck tailor-made to keeping the trails and environment in Moab in tip top shape. That means lots of extra lighting – on the grille, at the base of the a-pillars – performance wiper blades, steel front bumper with Warn winch, 37” off-road rubber and Rock Krawler 3” lift kit.

One of the most obvious adds is the bed-mounted cargo system. It comes courtesy of Leitner Designs and is equipped to carry tools, recovery boards and cleanup gear and comes mounted with even more lighting. Red paint topped with graphics also finished in various shades of red as well as “Red Rock” lettering on the hood edges top it all off.