New Jeep Grand Cherokee could be tested in Oz

The next-generation Grand Cherokee is so important to the rebuild of the Jeep brand in Australia it could be tested here.

The new Grand Cherokee will break cover in 2020, with a seven-seat variant joining the traditional five-seater for the first time.

Jeep global boss Christian Meunier told Australian media at this week’s Gladiator drive in New Zealand (embargoed until mid-January) the local testing plan was being considered.

“We are looking at it,” he said. “It has been requested that we come and test the Grand Cherokee in Australia and this is one of the things we could potentially do.

“That’s a fair request.”

Local testing would serve at least two purposes. At a practical level, Jeep could assess the vehicle’s suitability for our unique conditions – something done previously with the JL Wrangler.

But it would also serve as a message to potential customers that Jeep is determined to deliver A-grade quality and reliability.

The current WK/2-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee was a smash hit for the American SUV brand in Australia, where it was first launched in 2011.

But a series of product recalls and price rises allied with a headline-grabbing misappropriation scandal that dogged the local distribution arm of parent company FCA through mid-decade drove down its sales and those of the brand as whole.

In 2014 Jeep sold 30,408 vehicles in Australia including 16,582 Grand Cherokees. In 2019 it will struggled to top 6000 overall and 3000 Grand Cherokees.

Meunier, who has been in charge of Jeep only since May, has identified Australia as a priority market and will be here in February for the presentation of a business plan to dealers that is the kick-off point for a 50,000 sales per annum target.

If the testing plan is approved it is likely Jeep would bring the Grand Cherokee to Australia after its reveal to conduct hot-weather testing over the 2020-21 summer ahead of the start of production in 2021.

The line-up will include a plug-in hybrid version, although that is not confirmed for Australia.

Meunier was bullish about the Grand Cherokee’s potential in Australia.

“A three-row Grand Cherokee is going to be a killer in Australia,” he said.

“I can tell you this car is going to be the foundation, it is going to be the cornerstone of everything else in Australia.

“The name Grand Cherokee is very, very strong in Australia and obviously we are going to have a lot of work to do to make sure that the past is the past.

“The trust factor is going to be a key component of our action in marketing and the back-up in service. We are going to have to prove it.”