It has been no secret that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has been working hard at expanding the legendary Jeep® brand lineup in North America. While the company is building a new assembly plant on the eastside of Detroit ( Mack Avenue Assembly Plant or “MAAP”), it is also heavily updating the aged Warren Truck Assembly Plant (WTAP) located in the Detroit suburbs to build four new SUVs that include the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee (WL), a new three-row Grand Cherokee-based SUV, the all-new Jeep Wagoneer (WS), as well as the three-row Grand Wagoneer.
Today’s news of the 50/50 merger of FCA and Groupe PSA, layout out an exact timeline of when we can expect to see the launch of all four of these new vehicles. All four of these new Jeeps will layout a pattern that will mark the benchmark for all future Jeep models, which will include gasoline-powered models launched alongside electrified versions of those models.
The first vehicle that will be appearing, will be the yet to be named three-row Grand Cherokee-based SUV, that will be manufactured at the MAAP facility. This vehicle will ultimately replace the current-generation Dodge Durango in 2023 when the next-generation Dodge Durango (SD) will move to a body-on-frame (BoF) platform and be built alongside the upcoming Wagoneer. The new three-row Grand Cherokee will launch in the fourth-quarter of 2020, as a 2021 model. Expect the new vehicle to share a lot of the styling of the next-generation Grand Cherokee and should be a virtual clone to it.
The second vehicle to launch will be the next-generation Grand Cherokee. This is one of FCA’s most important vehicles and thanks to the additional production space of the new MAAP facility, the next-generation Grand Cherokee will not be plagued with production limitations that stall global growth of the popular E-segment SUV.
The new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, will be based on the Giorgio architecture that currently underpins vehicles like the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio. The unibody SUV will offer several new technologies as well as class-leading powertrains at its launch. The 2021 Grand Cherokee will be built between the MAAP facility and its current home at the Jefferson North Assembly Plant (JNAP) alongside the continued production of the current-generation Dodge Durango (WD). The new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee will launch in the first-quarter of 2021 (and could be labeled as a 2022 model, as the Cherokee (KL) launched as a 2019 model in the first-quarter of 2018.
Passionate Jeep enthusiasts have been waiting since 2011 for the Grand Wagoneer nameplate to return to the Jeep lineup after former FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne stated that the nameplate would return at that year’s North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) press conference. Since then, the vehicle has been pushed back several times, some to due with the launch of the 2019 Ram 1500 (DT) pickup – a vehicle in which the new Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be based on.
Now, while some have speculated that the Grand Wagoneer will be a more upscale version of the Wagoneer that will push the $100k price range, our sources have indicated a different approach. According to our sources, the Grand Wagoneer will be a three-row variant of the new Wagoneer (similar to the Tahoe to its Suburban sibling). The Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will feature the Ram 1500’s BoF architecture while launching a new independent rear-suspension application.
Both Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will be the first time the brand has launched a full-size SUV since the Grand Wagoneer ended production in 1991. Both vehicles will feature similar trim-levels, including an off-road variant as well as electrified models. Both the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will launch in the first-quarter of 2021, more than likely as 2022 model year vehicles.
After years of complaining from Jeep fans that there weren’t many all-new products coming from the iconic brand. Now, joining the recently launched Wrangler and Wrangler Unlimited (JL) and the all-new Gladiator (JT) pickup, the Jeep brand will feature the most all-new vehicles in its lineup, of all the core Mopar brands.
