Launched in 1974 from the chassis of the era Wagoneer, the Jeep Cherokee now retires after 49 years of shaping the face of the brand – notwithstanding the period from 2002 to 2013 during which it carried the Liberty name, of course. .
The manufacturer Stellantis confirmed the news to several American media in the last hours.
As we reported to you in January, the Cherokee has lost its V6 and only retains two versions for the 2023 model year. We also told you that production at the Belvidere, Illinois plant was going to be suspended. March 1 indefinitely.
Photo: Jeep
Some of the 1,350 employees who worked there may be reassigned to other plants in the group as positions become available, for example at the plant in Toledo, Ohio, which assembles the Wrangler and the Gladiator. . Negotiations with the American union UAW are still pending.
That being said, Stellantis has no intention of abandoning this market segment, which also includes the Jeep Compass. A spokesperson told Motor Trend: “We will make an announcement regarding the next generation Jeep Cherokee in due course. All current Jeep-branded vehicles will offer an electrified variant by 2025 and we will have four vehicles. »
In other words, Jeep may replace the Cherokee with a new electric SUV around the middle of the decade. Will it be called differently? That remains to be seen. Recall that in 2021, the Chief of the Cherokee First Nation in the United States spoke out against the use of the Cherokee name by Jeep.
Photo: Jeep
The company revealed last year images and some details of the Jeep Recon, which will become its first 100% electric vehicle on the North American market. The production model will be unveiled later in 2023 with the first examples coming out in 2024.