Grand Cherokee Freshening Caught in Spy Shots Ahead of NAIAS

Posted on 11 January 2013 by Ken Zino
AutoInformed.com

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. 

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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.

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About Ken Zino

Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
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One Response to Grand Cherokee Freshening Caught in Spy Shots Ahead of NAIAS

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