Sales were flat in 2012 compared to 2011 so it’s time for a freshening for the Grand Cherokee.
This is a camouflaged version of a revised 2014 model Jeep Grand Cherokee that will be revealed next week at NAIAS in Detroit. Three years after the launch of one of Fiat’s most profitable vehicles, the SUV will get a facelift and add a couple of new models.
With sales of more than 17,000 Grand Cherokee models during 2012 – the same as 2011 – it is time in the brutally competitive to provide a freshening with what looks to be hidden headlights, a different grille and taillights. Whether a Maserati derived version appears is an open question, but it is due to enter production in 2014, likely in Italy now that the Italian government is forcing Fiat to keep all of its plants there open.
It will be a busy couple of years for the Jeep Brand as Fiat expands its international presence to India and China.
Chrysler Group is preparing an all-new Jeep Liberty and Patriot replacement that will debut late next year, eventually going into production in the U.S., Italy South America and China. As with the just released Dodge Dart, this new Jeep – thus far unnamed – will be based on a corporate platform from owner Fiat.
The next Liberty will offer front-wheel-drive as well as 4wd, AutoInformed is betting. This would be the first time a Jeep has deviated from a basic rear-wheel-drive chassis design with 4wd as an upgrade. The Honda CRV, Toyota RAV4 and the Ford Escape are in or near the Top Ten seller list in the U.S. currently, and have been for a decade or more using this setup. In the past, Liberty has offered two-wheel drive as standard in the base price model with 4WD as an option, but never a front-wheel-drive stand-alone model. Current Liberty models – production at Toledo ceased this past August for retooling – have 4WD only, and were selling at a rate of 4,000 a month, about 20% of the sales numbers of CRV and Escape.
Fiat will also sell Jeep brand vehicles in India by late 2013 as part of a larger business plan to launch nine new or refreshed models under the Fiat and Jeep in the next few years. The first step will be the importation of the existing Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Grand Cherokee models, which will be arrive toward the end of 2013.
See AutoInformed on:
- Jeep Liberty to evolve as a Front-Wheel-Drive Alfa Romeo Derivative
- Fiat Melfi Plant to Make Two New Cars, Including a Baby Jeep
- Fiat to Expand Jeep Sales to India by Late 2013
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