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NEWS
Jeep delays new Cherokee – again
Launch of next-generation Jeep Cherokee pushed back for the second timeJeep has postponed the global launch of its redesigned Cherokee again, but says it is still expected to go on sale in Australia during the first quarter of next year.
The all-new Cherokee is the Chrysler Group’s most important new product this year and the first Jeep to be based on the new small Fiat Group platform that underpins the Alfa Romeo Giulietta and Dodge Dart.
It was originally slated for a global launch in Seattle in June, before unexpected recalibration of its world-first nine-speed automatic transmission delayed its presentation to international media until next month, with Australian press scheduled to drive it in Seattle over August 15-17.
Now Jeep has postponed the launch for another month, citing further powertrain software tweaks, with our first drive now due to take place by mid-September.
Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said yesterday the latest delay was regrettable – especially in the US, where the Cherokee will be a belated replacement for Jeep’s slow-selling Liberty.
“The second half is not doable without a proper launch of the Cherokee, so it’s an absolute necessary condition for the achievements that we set for ourselves,” he said.
“We’ve been without a car in that segment now for about a year and we’re paying a huge price.”
As a result, Chrysler has lowered its 2014 financial forecast despite posting profits in the previous eight consecutive quarters.
Jeep has withheld shipments of the new Cherokee to dealers while it makes the software changes, which the company said will have no bearing on its structural integrity or quality.
Jeep says the new Cherokee, which had been scheduled to arrive here in the last quarter of this year, will still be released in North America in September, before it hits Australian showrooms early next year.
As we’ve reported, the new Cherokee is expected to be Fiat Chrysler Group Australia’s top-selling model behind the Grand Cherokee, a midlife makeover for which was released here earlier this month.
It will be released here with new 2.4-litre and 3.2-litre petrol engines, plus a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel engine, all matched with the new nine-speed auto.
Entry-level Cherokees will be front-wheel drive, although three new four-wheel drive systems will be available, leading Jeep to claim “world-class on-road dynamics” as well as fuel consumption reductions of more than 45 per cent for some models and class-leading off-road ability for others.
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Written byMarton Pettendy
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