Jeep® Unveils Its Updated 2022 Grand Commander (K8) Lineup For China:

Jeep® Unveils Its Updated 2022 Grand Commander (K8) Lineup For China:​

Is New Looks Enough To Compete In A Very Competitive Market?​

With the focus being on the Jeep® brand’s newest entry for the Brazilian market with the launch of the all-new seven-passenger Commander (H1), many missed the official launch of the updated 2022 Jeep Grand Commander (K8) for the Chinese market earlier this week at the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show. It marks the first revision for the seven-passenger Grand Commander since its initial debut in 2018.

Jeep® Unveils Its Updated 2022 Grand Commander (K8) Lineup For China:

With the focus being on the Jeep® brand's newest entry for the Brazilian market with the launch of the all-new seven-passenger Commander (H1), many missed the official launch of the updated 2022 Jeep Grand Commander (K8) for the Chinese market earlier this week at the 2021 Chengdu Auto Show. It...

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[UN4GTBL]

I like this a lot, shame the interior didn't get all of the new tech though.

 

[bill burke]

What confuses me is why, if not a spin-off of this three row Cherokee based Jeep in the US market (as a reskinned Chrysler my choice) then why is the technology in the “e” version not being adopted here? In particular, the transmission seems to be a step forward and it is exclusive to Asia. Both Brazil and China seem to be on a fast track to engineering and technology innovation and applications, and in our market we are going at a snails pace in comparison. Why, for example, is this drivetrain technology not used in the Pacifica? I might be in the weeds here, but I remain confused as to why a three row Cherokee or some Chrysler derivative of such, is not built right along side the Cherokee in it’s under utilized factory? Just seems like a missed opportunity and a waste of development time, talent and treasure on vehicles that are leap frogging the primary US market. Confusing.

 

[TripleT]

No ROI, Bill...... You seems to think Development is more expensive as a ratio then the total implementation. If NA customers don't support the volume and margin. The high cost of implementation and certification cannot be recovered through net margins.

The Chrysler version was fully developed and designed, and ROI never justified the implementation cost.

 

[patfromigh]

Why, for example, is this drivetrain technology not used in the Pacifica?

It has been for a while. In the Pacifica it is called the eFlite. I had a chance to drive a Pacifica hybrid and it's pretty amazing.

From press materials released in November 2016:

eFlite electrically variable transmission (EVT)
The pivotal technology behind the all-new Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid is its innovative eFlite EVT. Designed by FCA US, the device features two electric motors – both of which are capable of driving the vehicle’s wheels.

Conventional electrification schemes dedicate one motor to serve as a generator and a second motor – usually much larger – to deliver torque to the wheels. But the all-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid uses a one-way clutch that allows the motor typically used only as a generator to deliver torque to the wheels, depending on driving conditions. The result is increased efficiency, refinement and improved component packaging.

The blended plug-in hybrid design offers a seamless driving experience for the customer, whether in electric or hybrid mode for typical city and highway driving. Under normal driving conditions, the top speed in all-electric mode is approximately 75 miles per hour (mph).

When the battery’s energy is depleted to a certain threshold, the Pacifica Hybrid becomes a part-time electric vehicle, like a conventional hybrid, to maximize energy and efficiency. Power to the wheels is supplied by the electric drive system or supplemented by a specially adapted new version of the award-winning FCA US Pentastar 3.6-liter V-6 engine.

Source for quote: Stellantis Media - Press Kit: 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid:All-new 2017 Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid Is First Electrified Minivan, Expands Segment Leadership for FCA US

Since I'm talking about the eFlite hybrid transmission I will let everybody in on a dirty little secret that goes way back to Highland Park and then moved to Auburn Hills. Whenever a new hybrid powertrain comes out, Toyota's lawyers and engineers huddle together to see which, if any of their patents have been poached. The Toyota and Chrysler hybrids look very similar and the companies went to court, because Toyota smelled blood. It turns out the Chrysler hybrid transmission is based on expired TRW patents. TRW had developed such a hybrid setup out of a quest for greater energy efficiency, inspired by the concerns arising out of the Suez Crisis. This happened while Ike was in the White House. A few decades later, Chrysler was working on hybrids in the 1980s, including a system based off the then recently expired TRW patents. Chrysler engineers filed some of their own patents as a result of their R&D. Remember this is at Highland Park in the 1980s, batteries hadn't changed much since the Fifties and computers were relatively expensive.

Toyota sues Chrysler and in court Chrysler whips out hybrid patents a decade older than anything Toyota had. With that revelation, Chrysler revealed the TRW origin of the technology from decades earlier. This was embarrassing to the Japanese automaker which had made claims they invented the hybrid setup. I'm pretty sure the Chinese didn't invent it either.