It is quite evident that, since its introduction in 1993, the Jeep grand cherokee has proven to be very profitable for the manufacturer. It is this success that has prompted Stellantis to move forward with a fifth generation of the model in 2022, including a 4xe plug-in hybrid version and an extended version marketed under the name L. But Jeep does not count. stop there. Observing how well the older generation WK is selling, she decides to leave it in the lineup for yet another year.
It was during the Canadian launch of the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee, which took place in Port Hope, Ontario, that Stellantis Canada told us the news about the old Grand Cherokee.
Being marketed with us since 2011, the fourth generation model, which is based on an architecture called WK2 internally (WK1: from 2005 to 2010), has sold more than 220,000 copies in Canada and the United States. in 2021, not to mention the fact that it has also been released in other markets.
For Jeep, it is therefore a very important model. The manufacturer therefore thought that it would be wise to leave it a while longer in the range, in order to sell it at a floor price below the fifth generation model, a bit like what Ram does with the 1500 Classic.
“It sells really well, and our plant in Jefferson has been building it for years. It would be stupid to suddenly cease production. It could also be useful to us if we have other supply problems in the future ”- explained Bradley Horn, Communications Manager at Stellantis Canada.
Recall that although the old Jeep Grand Cherokee was produced on the Jefferson North assembly line in Detroit, the new Grand Cherokee is being built in a brand new factory called Mack, located a few streets further north. Jeep plans to eventually transform the Jefferson plant to build 2022 Grand Cherokees (as well as Ls and 4xes) as well, but not until late 2022.
However, the old Grand Cherokee will continue to be marketed alongside its replacement at least until the end of next year. If sales continue to flourish and don’t over-cannibalize sales of the new model, Horn said, Jeep could extend production until 2023.
At the time of this writing, it was possible to configure a 2022 Grand Cherokee WK on the Jeep Canada website in the Laredo, Altitude, Limited and Limited X versions. Bradley Horn informed us, however, that towards the end of the first one quarter of 2022, only the Laredo and Limited versions will be offered. He also informed us that the price scale will be revised accordingly.
