Chrysler plans unibody, fuel-efficient Grand Cherokee
DETROIT — Chrysler is pouring a hefty $1.8 billion into its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit as it aims to make the Detroit factory a "hallmark facility for flexibility," according to supplier sources contacted by Inside Line. Those sources also say that the 2011-'12 Jeep Grand Cherokee will get a "car based" hybrid variant.
The next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will be made with a unibody construction and a fuel-efficient V-6 engine being developed under the code-name Phoenix, Chrysler Co-president Tom LaSorda said. He went on to say that Chrysler worked with Mercedes-Benz to develop the platform
Supplier sources told Inside Line that the investment focuses heavily on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, in two-row and three-row configurations. The new Grand Cherokee will be powered by the new Phoenix engine, a V6 that is likely to be either a 3.3-liter or a 3.5-liter. The new Grand Cherokee will be engineered with "more space for hybrid components," a source said. There was talk about "Dodge spin-offs" to be built at Jefferson North, but one source said those "talks have quieted down."
In any case, the future Jeep Grand Cherokee will be more fuel-efficient than the current model. The plant today builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Commander.
DETROIT — Chrysler is pouring a hefty $1.8 billion into its Jefferson North Assembly Plant in Detroit as it aims to make the Detroit factory a "hallmark facility for flexibility," according to supplier sources contacted by Inside Line. Those sources also say that the 2011-'12 Jeep Grand Cherokee will get a "car based" hybrid variant.
The next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee will be made with a unibody construction and a fuel-efficient V-6 engine being developed under the code-name Phoenix, Chrysler Co-president Tom LaSorda said. He went on to say that Chrysler worked with Mercedes-Benz to develop the platform
Supplier sources told Inside Line that the investment focuses heavily on the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee, in two-row and three-row configurations. The new Grand Cherokee will be powered by the new Phoenix engine, a V6 that is likely to be either a 3.3-liter or a 3.5-liter. The new Grand Cherokee will be engineered with "more space for hybrid components," a source said. There was talk about "Dodge spin-offs" to be built at Jefferson North, but one source said those "talks have quieted down."
In any case, the future Jeep Grand Cherokee will be more fuel-efficient than the current model. The plant today builds the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Jeep Commander.
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