Jeep Grand Commander is big
Patent drawings of Jeep's new flagship SUV provide early look at big seven-seat cruiserThe latest new, all-American SUV has been outed as the Jeep Grand Commander.
Aimed squarely at the gargantuan Chinese market, where the appetite for SUVs has reached giddying levels, new patent details and drawings reveal much of the new model.
Expected to be sold in China only, the Jeep Grand Commander will provide the world's largest new car market with a purposefully named and designed model, whose front-end appears to be inspired by the current Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The headlights and front grille are very sporty and the ride height appears lower than most Jeeps, suggesting this will be targeting at the urban set in China, not off-road enthusiasts.
Exposed by Chinese website Autohome.com.cn, the new vehicle schematics were published on the trademark office website in China.
US websites are reporting the new model will be powered by the same new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder engine as the just-released 2018 Jeep Wrangler.
Generating 209kW/400Nm, the engine should have more than enough pepper to shift the Grand Commander's predicted high mass.
Jeep revealed the Yuntu concept at the 2017 Shanghai motor show in April, which may have been a preview of the Grand Commander. It made use of a hybrid powertrain and there's plenty of potential for a hybrid version in China, again borrowed from the Wrangler hybrid.
The Jeep Grand Commander name is a reworking of the Jeep Commander SUV, which was knifed in 2010 after five years on sale in the US. It wasn't particularly popular.
It then morphed into the Dodge Durango.
Given the new Grand Commander's China-only direction, western markets such as the USA are likely to get all-new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models as their large Jeep SUV offerings.
The Grand Wagoneer and regular Wagoneer models would have appeal in the Australian market but are not yet officially confirmed for right-hand production.
It remains to be seen if the Grand Commander name will be adopted globally or whether it continues elsewhere as the Grand Wagoneer.
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