Jeep Grand Wagoneer ruled out for Oz

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer has been officially ruled out for Australia by the US off-road brand’s global boss Christian Meunier.

In an interview in which he reaffirmed Jeep’s commitment to the Australian market, Meunier revealed that the all-new luxury seven-seat flagship SUV will not be built in right-hand drive, leaving the brand to concentrate on the incoming new-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee L.

“For now it’s not on the table and I think we will focus on the three-row Grand Cherokee which is already a pretty substantial, pretty big SUV,” Meunier said.

While Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia was previously hopeful that a case for right-hand drive production could be made for the upper-large Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Meunier said the new Jeep Grand Cherokee L will provide the brand with plenty of flexibility given its increased size and Wagoneer-inspired premium cabin.

“We’ll deliver high performance with this thing. We’ll cover some of the market with this product that potentially Grand Wagoneer could have done,” he said.

Pitched as an ultra-luxury SUV to rival the likes of the Range Rover, Mercedes-Benz GLS and Lexus LX big rigs, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer features four individual digital screens in the cockpit – including a large 10.2-inch touch-screen exclusively for the front passenger.

Sustainably-sourced leather-like upholstery, aluminium accents and intricate 3D-printed are all part of the package.

Based on a similar platform architecture to the RAM 1500 pick-up truck, which has proved hugely popular in Australia despite its $80,000 starting price, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer’s rugged ladder-frame platform will endow it with solid off-roading capability and what Jeep is describing as “unmatched” towing capability.

Given that the new Jeep Grand Cherokee will not be available with a diesel engine, those looking for brand-new tow vehicle with all the trimmings could look past the Jeep and instead consider the upcoming Toyota LandCruiser 300 Series, which is widely expected to get a new twin-turbo V6 diesel engine and possibly a twin-turbo V8 petrol engine.

Jeep has not yet outlined engine options for the Grand Wagoneer. The brand will also release a lower-tier version called the Wagoneer which will rival vehicles such as the Toyota LandCruiser.

Meunier, who was previously in charge of Nissan’s Infiniti brand, said the Jeep Grand Wagoneer might one day be offered in right-hand drive and that “I’d love to do it and I’m sure it could do very well in Australia”.

He added that “nothing is off the table” but made it clear that the company’s focus for Australia was on the new Jeep Grand Cherokee in both five- and seven-seat configuration.

“Because of the size of the [Grand Wagoneer] product and the potential, which is hard to justify because other right-hand drive markets are not really interested,” he said. “There’s no market for that product in Tokyo or London. It makes it extremely hard to justify.”