A new Jeep Cherokee is all but guaranteed and it can't come soon enough
Everyone knows what a Jeep is, but Jeep’s problem is not enough people want to buy Jeeps these days. There are a few possible reasons for this, from too many mainstream Jeep models costing luxury-car money (even though Jeep is not a luxury brand) to not enough options to choose from on the lower end of its lineup (but a plethora of larger, pricier three-row options at the top end). A number of Jeep's affordable models have melted away — notice you can't buy a new Renegade or Cherokee anymore, just the compact Compass.
These are snags Jeep's newish CEO Antonio Filosa must untangle. With the current model portfolio, “we’re competing with 45 percent of the market,” Filosa said in an interview withMotorTrend. That’s not good enough, apparently; by 2027, he hopes that figure will grow to 85 percent.
At the heart of the company’s growth plan is a three-model midsize offensive (even though it includes some sub-midsize options), because that’s where the profits live.
The first offering is one we just saw: the $72,000 2024 Jeep Wagoneer S EV. The second will be theJeep Recon, the brand’s more rugged and adventure-focused EV (think aRivian R3, or an electric Wrangler-adjacent thing). And while Filosa refused to confirm what the third yet unnamed model is, we’re betting it’ll be a new Cherokee.
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It would make sense. Jeepkilled off the compact Cherokee in 2023 and didn’t name a replacement, thus locking itself out of the lucrative segment for more than a year, which was costly. We know anext-gen Cherokee is pretty imminent, so if Jeep is looking for another popularly sized SUV to catch sales with, this is likely the one. The Cherokee is a recognized and beloved nameplate, so it’s doubtful something like theJeep Liberty would see reincarnation.
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We’ve reported the probability of the next-gen Cherokee benefiting from electrification thanks to the flexibility of Stellantis’ new STLA platform, but whether that means as a hybrid, PHEV or a pure BEV is still unclear. However, Filosa said the vehicle, whatever it is, won’t be a BEV “at first.”
Seeing as the compact and midsize SUV segments are still the hottest, Jeep is eager to get back in the former and claim a piece of the pie. (Jeep's Grand Cherokee and three-row Grand Cherokee L models cover the midsize spread.) We’re due for a new Cherokee, anyway — the smallish Compass isn't exactly a proper Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 or Nissan Rogue competitor, despite costing nearly as much as those roomier offerings. It seems the new Cherokee won't have aless problematic name — after all, there is a lot of equity (to Jeep) in that nameplate — but we hope it'll be priced in a way that’ll draw in more mainstream buyers.
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