Is General Motors finally preparing a Jeep Wrangler rival?

Witnesses caught the General testing a pair of Wranglers.

The Jeep Wrangler competes in a class of one. Its most direct competitor, the Toyota FJ Cruiser, left the American market in 2014. Its enviable monopoly over the top-less, body-on-frame off-roader segment won't last, according to a recent report.

Take this one with a grain of salt, but well-informed enthusiast website GM Authority learned that General Motors acquired a pair of JL-generation Wranglers and has been testing them on its Milford Proving Grounds in Michigan. Witnesses saw two four-door Unlimited models fitted with an array of sensors and data-collecting equipment. The publication concludes GM might finally be serious about taking on the Wrangler after decades of hesitation.

In recent memory, the closest we got to a Wrangler fighter from General Motors was the Hummer HX concept (pictured) revealed at the 2008 Detroit auto show. It looked like a Hummer shrunk to Wrangler proportions, and rumors claimed it would reach production with minor tweaks as an entry-level model named H4, but the project was canned when the brand shut down in 2010.

GM hasn't shed insight into whether it will jump into the Wrangler's segment. If it does, it may need to fast-track the project. Arch rival Ford is preparing its own Wrangler-fighting off-roader, which will resurrect the Bronco nameplate, and -- contrary to some earlier reports -- it will fit in the Jeep's mold. Body-on-frame construction and a removable top are both on the menu.