Think of this flashy pickup prototype as, "part of the fleshing out of the Jeep division," suggested Trevor Creed. The design director at DaimlerChrysler's Chrysler Group, he acknowledged, "(we) haven't done enough with Jeep," adding that "we're going to do an awful lot more…in a very short time."

With its exposed door and hood hinges, there's a bit of the back-to-basics look to Gladiator, enhanced by a canvas roof that rolls partway back, much like a sunroof, but it also can be removed entirely. The pickup features dual doors on the passenger side and, on the passenger side, a cargo hatch for easy access to the rear on the driver's side. The doors swing open a full 180 degrees. Based on an all-new platform, so-called "lifestyle vehicle," may be straightforward in design, but what you see isn't always what you get. The Gladiator's most innovative feature is its cargo bed. In normal configuration, it measures 5.5 feet in length. But stow the rear seat cushions and the rear bulkhead moves forward into the two-row cab, stretching the bed to an even 8 feet.

Featuring a part-time 4x4 powertrain, the Gladiator boasts a 2.8-liter, four-cylinder turbodiesel making 163 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. The engine is mated to a manual transmission.

While Creed won't say whether the Gladiator is set to become part of Jeep's expanding product portfolio, it wouldn't hurt to keep a close eye on this concept vehicle, especially the bold front end. It "could be" the inspiration for the next-generation Wrangler, Creed hinted. "We always learn our lessons from these concepts."