Jeep prices have gone through the roof. Buyers are bailing and dealers are furious [Video]

The Jeep Gladiator was unveiled to great fanfare by then-owner Fiat Chrysler in 2018, the hot brand’s first pickup model in over a quarter of a century. And at first, it seemed like it might live up to the hype.Video above: The true cost of owning a carAfter rolling out in 2019, sales doubled in 2020, reaching nearly 90,000 in the U.S. despite pandemic-induced production issues and making it one of the few winners that troubled year.But the success was short-lived.After Fiat Chrysler’s merger with PSA Group in early 2021 created Stellantis, the company began focusing on higher-priced, higher-margin vehicles, using limited supplies of parts such as computer chips to build the pricier versions of its vehicles. That left many traditional Jeep and other Fiat Chrysler buyers looking elsewhere.A search of Jeep’s site shows only a few Gladiators with a sticker price below $40,000 nationwide, none for less than $39,790. …