Jeep Next Jeep Grand Cherokee Will Be Built on Alfa Romeo RWD Platform

[anti-VAG]

Next Jeep Grand Cherokee Will Be Built on Alfa Romeo RWD Platform
The next Jeep luxury SUV will share bones with the Alfa Romeo Giulia, according to Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.

Officially, Fiat Chrysler doesn't have much going on at the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit—the automaker has no press conference and is not revealing any new vehicles or concepts at the major auto show. But that didn't prevent CEO Sergio Marchionne from spilling some interesting new details about the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee.

At a roundtable discussion with members of the media, Marchionne revealed that the upcoming Jeep Grand Cherokee will be built on a rear-wheel-drive platform developed by Alfa Romeo. To our ears, it sounds like Marchionne is referring to the platform currently being used in the Alfa Romeo Giulia—a platform which, in modified form, will underpin the upcoming Alfa Romeo Stelvio SUV and a number of additional new Alfa offerings. With the Giulia and Stelvio both offering all-wheel drive, it shouldn't be difficult for Jeep to integrate an off-road capable 4WD system into the shared platform.

It's a telling, but logical, revelation. Fiat Chrysler is undertaking a massive product shift, in an effort to erase the massive debt the automaker currently carries, and platform sharing is a great way to extend the product portfolio while saving money on development costs. Those plans involve a huge new investment in updating FCA's U.S. manufacturing plants to produce pickup trucks and crossovers, to the tune of $1 billion.

Source: Road & Track

 

[anti-VAG]

Engines should be

• GME T4
• GME T6
• V8

Most likely debut in late 2019, certainly not before.

 

[anti-VAG]

Fiat Chrysler to open new assembly plant in Detroit

Detroit — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV plans to convert an idled engine plant in the city into an assembly plant as part of the automaker's plans to add a new three-row Jeep SUV to its lineup, The Detroit News has learned.

The Auburn Hills-based automaker plans to revive Mack Avenue Engine II, which has been idled since 2012, as an assembly plant building a new three-row Jeep Grand Cherokee for model year 2021, multiple sources familiar with the plans told The News. The move could add at least 100 and up to 400 jobs in the city.

The renovated Mack Avenue facility would be the first new auto assembly line to open in Detroit in 27 years, potentially cushioning the blow of General Motors Co.'s plans to stop production of four sedans at its Detroit-Hamtramck assembly plant by June 1. FCA's plans are the latest move by automakers in the waning days of the year before Detroit's automakers renegotiate their contracts next year with the United Auto Workers.

The moves come as automakers are under increasing pressure from President Donald Trump to boost production of cars, trucks and SUVs in the United States — even as his administration wages a costly trade war with China, Canada, Mexico and the European Union that is raising steel prices and threatening tariffs on imported vehicles.

When Mack II starts production of the three-row Grand Cherokee, FCA would begin retooling Jefferson North Assembly Plant — directly across the street from the Mack Avenue Engine Complex — to make way for the next generation of the two- and three-row Grand Cherokee. A public announcement is tentatively scheduled for the end of next week.

An FCA spokeswoman declined comment.

“FCA is essentially out of capacity,” said Jeff Schuster, an analyst with LMC Automotive in Troy. “They’re kind of running up against being against full capacity. This is a very different situation than what GM is dealing with.”

Even as Fiat Chrysler officials mull decisions to prepare for a future expected to include expensive electric and autonomous vehicles, the automaker needs to invest in a new assembly line to build the profitable SUVs that will raise cash to fund that future. Fiat Chrysler’s plant capacity utilization in November hit 92 percent in North America.

FCA also recently approved plans to spend six months next year retooling its Warren Truck Assembly Plant to prepare for production of a 2021 full-size three-row SUV, the Jeep Wagoneer. The automaker likely has delayed plans to repatriate from Mexico production of the Ram Heavy Duty.

Construction on Mack II, internally dubbed "Plant X," likely would begin next year, as Detroit's automakers prepare to begin national contract talks with the UAW. To convert the old engine plant to a full assembly line, sources said, the automaker would need to add at least a body and paint shop.

Reviving the idled half of the Mack engine plant as an assembly operation would address a worsening capacity problem for Fiat Chrysler. With strong demand for its Jeep and Ram products, the automaker has shuffled products from plant to plant in recent years while it retools for new vehicles — an attempt to avoid the significant financial hit of idling production of its most profitable vehicles.

Fiat Chrysler's North American assembly plants are currently running at 92 percent capacity, according to data compiled by LMC Automotive for The Detroit News. By comparison, GM and Ford Motor Co. were operating at 72 percent and 81 percent through November, respectively.

But FCA's Jefferson North plant, on the west side of Conner between Mack and Jefferson, is operating at 130 percent capacity. That means the automaker is running extra shifts to meet demand for the Jeep Grand Cherokees, Jeep Grand Cherokee SRTs and Dodge Durangos made there.

Only two of Fiat Chrysler's U.S. assembly plants are operating at below 80 percent capacity in 2018: the Toledo Supplier Park and Warren Truck Plant. Currently building only the Ram 1500 work truck, the Warren plant is operating at just 46 percent of capacity.

The new production line on Mack Avenue would also add a valuable new three-row product to Fiat Chrysler’s hot-selling Jeep lineup. The revamped line would also add as many as 400 jobs on Detroit’s east side.

FCA's plans for its U.S. plants are a stark contrast to GM's. The Detroit automaker plans to idle five plants in North America next year, imperiling the jobs of 6,300 line workers in the region as it slashes some 8,000 white-collar jobs in a restructuring plan designed to save the Detroit automaker $6 billion by 2020.

Among the affected GM plants is Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly, staffed by nearly 1,350 union workers and one of only two vehicle assembly plants left in Detroit. If it were to close following 2019 contract negotiations with the United Auto Workers, Fiat Chrysler’s Jefferson North Assembly Plant stood to become to final automotive assembly plant in Detroit.

Jefferson North, the last remaining automotive assembly plant located entirely inside Detroit's borders, opened in 1991. Before that, GM opened Detroit-Hamtramck Assembly in 1985.


Fiat Chrysler to build Jeep in revived Detroit plant

 

[Centurion]

Excellent news. Make Detroit great again.

FCA should also consider assemble Alfa cars in the same plant and grow the brand in the USA.

 

[anti-VAG]

From what I've heard Alfa Romeo E segment SUV has could be produced alongside Grand Cherokee or 3 row agrand Cherokee.

This new plant or assembly is just across the street of current plant for Grand Cherokee which is a JNAP and will be used as overflow.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

The Alfa brand has to be rebuilt in the USA after being there for only a couple of years and having been mismanaged. I don’t think that building an Alfa outside of Italy is that great but let’s see what they can come up with.

 

[anti-VAG]

http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=20661&mid=1


FCA to Expand Production Capacity in Michigan to Grow Core Brands, Electrify Jeep® Vehicles

$4.5 Billion to Build New Assembly Plant in Detroit and Add Production at Five Existing Michigan Facilities, Creating Nearly 6,500 Jobs



FCA total committed investments in the U.S. grow to nearly $14.5 billion since 2009, with nearly 30,000 jobs created to date
Investment would be next step in Company’s U.S. industrialization plan, announced in 2016 to expand Jeep® and Ram brands
Introduces two new Jeep-branded “white space” products in key market segments
Enables electrification of new Jeep models
$1.6 billion investment would convert Mack Avenue Engine Complex into manufacturing site for next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee and an all-new three-row full-size Jeep SUV, creating 3,850 new jobs
$900 million investment at Jefferson North to retool and modernize plant for continued production of Dodge Durango and next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee with 1,100 new jobs expected
Warren Truck 2017 investment increases to $1.5 billion for production of all-new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, as well as continued assembly of Ram 1500 Classic with addition of 1,400 new jobs
All three assembly sites would also produce plug-in hybrid versions of their respective Jeep models with flexibility to build fully battery-electric models in the future
Sterling Stamping and Warren Stamping plants to receive more than $400 million total investment to support additional production, potentially creating about 80 new jobs at Sterling
$119 million investment to relocate Pentastar engine production currently at Mack I to the Dundee Engine Plant; production at Mack would end by Q3 2019
Projects contingent on land acquisition and the negotiation of development incentives with the cities of Detroit, Sterling Heights, Warren, Dundee and state of Michigan
City of Detroit has 60 days to deliver on commitments outlined in Memorandum of Understanding related to Mack and Jefferson North projects



February 26, 2019 , London - Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (NYSE: FCAU / MTA: FCA) confirmed today plans to invest a total of $4.5 billion in five of its existing Michigan plants, and to work with the city of Detroit and state of Michigan on building a new assembly plant within city limits. The move would increase capacity to meet growing demand for its Jeep® and Ram brands, including production of two new Jeep-branded white space products, as well as electrified models. The proposed projects would create nearly 6,500 new jobs.

The plant actions detailed in today’s announcement represent the next steps in a U.S. manufacturing realignment that FCA began in 2016. In response to a shift in consumer demand toward SUVs and trucks, the Company discontinued compact car production and retooled plants in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan to make full use of available capacity to expand the Jeep and Ram brands. Those actions have resulted in the recent launches of the award-winning all-new Jeep Wrangler and all-new Ram 1500, and the introduction of the newest member of the Jeep family, the all-new Jeep Gladiator, at the 2018 Los Angeles Auto Show.

“Three years ago, FCA set a course to grow our profitability based on the strength of the Jeep and Ram brands by realigning our U.S. manufacturing operations,” said Mike Manley, Chief Executive Officer, FCA N.V. “Today’s announcement represents the next step in that strategy. It allows Jeep to enter two white space segments that offer significant margin opportunities and will enable new electrified Jeep products, including at least four plug-in hybrid vehicles and the flexibility to produce fully battery-electric vehicles.”

The city of Detroit has 60 days to meet the terms of a Memorandum of Understanding, which requires the acquisition of property critical to the execution of the Mack project. The additional investments are subject to the successful negotiation and final approval of development packages with the state and other local governments.

Plant Investment Details
FCA would invest $1.6 billion to convert the two plants that comprise the Mack Avenue Engine Complex into the future assembly site for the next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee, as well as an all-new three-row full-size Jeep SUV and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models, adding 3,850 new jobs to support production. The Company intends to start construction of the new Detroit facility by the end of Q2 2019 with the first three-row vehicles expected to roll off the line by the end of 2020, followed by the all-new Grand Cherokee in the first half of 2021.

Also as part of this announcement, the Jefferson North Assembly Plant would receive an investment of $900 million to retool and modernize the facility to build the Dodge Durango and next-generation Jeep Grand Cherokee. FCA expects to create 1,100 new jobs at Jefferson North.

The reborn Mack facility would be the first new assembly plant to be built in the city of Detroit in nearly three decades. In 1991, Jefferson North was the last new assembly plant built in the city. When complete, Mack would join Jefferson North as the only automotive assembly plants to be located completely within the city limits of Detroit.

The Pentastar engines – the 3.6-, 3.2- and 3.0-liter – currently built at Mack I would be relocated to the Dundee Engine Plant as part of a $119 million investment. Pentastar production at Mack I would end by Q3 2019. Mack II has been idle since it ceased production of the 3.7-liter V-6 in September 2012.

FCA also confirms the investment at Warren Truck to retool for production of the all-new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, announced in 2017, along with their electrified counterparts, would increase to $1.5 billion. Production is expected to launch in early 2021. In addition to the new Jeep models, the plant would continue building the Ram 1500 Classic, which is being extended to meet market demand. It is expected that 1,400 new jobs would be added. As a result of this investment announcement, production of the all-new Ram Heavy Duty will continue at its current location in Saltillo, Mexico.

To support the additional production, the Company’s Warren Stamping (Warren, Michigan) and Sterling Stamping (Sterling Heights, Michigan) plants would receive investments of $245 million and $160 million, respectively, with Sterling Stamping expected to add more than 80 new jobs.

This investment is part of the Company's capital spending plan presented in June 2018.

Realignment of FCA U.S. Manufacturing Operations
Over the past two years, FCA has realigned production at four plants in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan to increase capacity for the Jeep Cherokee, Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500 light-duty truck, and created additional manufacturing capacity for the Jeep Gladiator in Ohio.

The investments included:



$350 million in the Belvidere Assembly Plant (Illinois) to produce the Jeep Cherokee, which moved from Toledo, Ohio, in 2017. More than 300 new jobs were added to support production, which launched in June 2017.
$700 million in the Toledo Assembly Complex (Ohio) to retool the North plant to produce the next-generation Jeep Wrangler. Approximately 700 new jobs were added to support production, which began in December 2017.
$1.48 billion in the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant (Michigan) to build the next-generation Ram 1500 truck, adding more than 700 new jobs. Production of the new truck began in March 2018. Production of the Ram 1500 Classic continues at Warren Truck (Michigan).
$273 million in the south plant of the Toledo Assembly Complex to prepare the facility to produce the all-new Jeep Gladiator. The new truck is scheduled to launch in the first half of 2019.



In total, FCA has committed to invest nearly $14.5 billion in its U.S. manufacturing operations, creating nearly 30,000 new jobs since June 2009.

 

[anti-VAG]

CAUGHT: 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee (WL) Prototype:
Next Generation Grand Cherokee Is Spotted For The First Time...

Our friends at KGP Photography happened to stumble across a 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee (WL) prototype near the Chrysler Technology Center in Auburn Hills, Michigan, earlier this week. It is our first time seeing the upcoming midsized Jeep SUV. So let’s take a look at what we know thus far, about the forthcoming Grand Cherokee.

The all-new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee will be based on the Giorgio architecture which underpins the award-winning Alfa Romeo Stelvio and Alfa Romeo Giulia. While we have talked about the upcoming Grand Cherokee beforehand, we have learned a lot more about the legendary Jeep. For the first time, there will be two versions of the Grand Cherokee produced in 2021. The first one is codenamed WL74. This will be a two-row version of the Grand Cherokee, which is a very similar layout to the Grand Cherokee’s formula since it made its debut in 1992. The second is a three-row version codenamed WL75. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) had already confirmed the vehicle when it announced that the company had intentions of creating the new Mack Avenue Assembly Plant earlier this year. While we don’t know just let if the three-row version will carry the Grand Cherokee nameplate, it will share the basic exterior and interior design as the two-row version, but with a longer wheelbase.

Under the hood of the all-new Grand Cherokee, it is expected that we will get our first look at the all-new GME-T6 inline-six cylinder turbocharged engine. Yes, an inline-six engine will be returning to the Grand Cherokee lineup for the first time since 2004. The new engine should have a little bit bigger displacement than 3.0-liters and will have many different variants throughout the FCA vehicle lineup for North America. We are told that both the 5.7-liter HEMI (with a possible eTorque version) and the third generation 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 will also make their appearance in the 2021 Grand Cherokee. Expect the all-new Grand Cherokee to come standard with a ZF-sourced 8-speed automatic transmission lineup, which will now be shifted via a rotary dial located on the center console.

The Grand Cherokee won’t lose any off its offroad capability either. According to our sources, a Trailhawk version of the all-new 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee will get a new generation of air suspension, allowing the midsized Jeep to be able to rise and lower faster, for those quick transitions off-road. Grand Cherokee will also get revised and more aggressive off-road modes, which will be controlled through a rotary terrain selector which will manage the air suspension, hill descent control, and terrain select. Expect more under armoring to help protect Grand Cherokee’s drivetrain as well.

Inside, the WL will get much more refinement. A new much more modern dash layout with the climate vents running lengthwise along the dash will give the new Grand Cherokee a bigger cabin feel. A 7-inch thin-film transistor (TFT) screen will be standard in the gauge cluster, with more upscale models getting a newly designed high definition 10.1-inch TFT. We are also told, we might see the new Uconnect heads-up display (HUD) as well.

Infotainment systems will be revamped entirely too. Of course, the 7-inch and 8.4-inch Uconnect Touchscreens are back with new bezels, but the big news is the addition of an all-new 10.1-inch Uconnect Touchscreen with controls at the bottom of the screen. Yes, no 12.1-inch version from the Ram pickups, but the Grand Cherokee will get its own system. An optional Blue Ray player will be available for rear seat occupants and should feature similar rear seat infotainment offerings as the Chrysler Pacifica.

Comfort will also be a massive improvement for the all-new Grand Cherokee. Our sources tell us that the 2021 Grand Cherokee will feature the same second-row seat frames as the comfortable Alfa Romeo Stelvio. Front-row seats will feature seat frames from the Chrysler Pacifica, with just a tad bit more upper bolstering. These seats will give a lot more comfort than the current layout, and we are told it will also get an optional massage function for the front seats. Yes, massaging seats!

There is a lot to be excited about with the upcoming Grand Cherokee and we can’t wait to see this vehicle to make its debut. We expect the vehicle to make its official debut at the 2020 North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, which for the first time will be held in June on the 9th and 10th. So we are just under a year from the official unveiling.

CAUGHT: 2021 Jeep® Grand Cherokee (WL) Prototype: - Mopar Insiders

 

[hovabongZA]

If true this will become more of a true rival,alternative to the Germans.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

yes, further upmarket as always then insert smaller products below.

 

[Yaz]

What's taking this so long?

 

[anti-VAG]

 

[Abbat]

Looks very good.

 

[Levi68]

Hope it remains closer to 4x4 than CUV, with bonus of Stelvio handling.

 

[Centurion]

Hope it remains closer to 4x4 than CUV, with bonus of Stelvio handling.

It resembles a 4x4 in size. Will it be a 3 row SUV?

 

[Levi68]

It resembles a 4x4 in size. Will it be a 3 row SUV?

I meant 4x4 in capability, not looks. CUVs are as capable offroad as a Subaru Forester or Outback if not less.

 

[tristatez28lt1]

2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee Scooped With Striking New Design
BY BRAD ANDERSON | POSTED ONDECEMBER 25, 2020 5

The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee has been spied testing in three-row guise with less camouflage than any time before.

Unsurprisingly, the new Grand Cherokee bares a resemblance to the Grand Commander that is sold exclusively in the Chinese market, as well as the new Grand Wagoneer. The similarities are particularly obvious at the front end where there are very similar headlights, although those used by the Grand Cherokee are slightly thinner. We can also see part of the seven-slot front grille.

This prototype can also be seen rolling on a set of relatively small black wheels wrapped in high-profile, all-terrain tires. Another 2022 Grand Cherokee prototype in the distance of one of the spy shots appears to be rolling on large wheels with more road-oriented tires.

Read Also: U Spy The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee / Grand Cherokee XL

Key styling changes are also visible at the rear thanks to the fitment of thinner, LED taillights and new tailpipes.
It is understood that the wheelbase of the three-row Grand Cherokee pictured will be slightly longer than that of the regular, two-row variant. Both will use an elongated version of the Alfa Romeo Giorgio platform as used by the Giulia sedan and Stelvio SUV that will mean even the new two-row version offers passengers more room than the outgoing model.
Jeep is also expected to make a series of significant upgrades to the vehicle’s interior, including the fitment of a large infotainment system, a digital gauge cluster, rotary shift knob, and some plush new materials – although not so plush as to rival the Grand Wagoneer.
A number of powertrains are to be expected. Sitting at the base of the range will probably be FCA’s Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 while higher-performance SRT variants will use a naturally-aspirated V8. A new supercharged Hellcat variant is also a possibility, as is a plug-in hybrid.
The 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee is expected to be unveiled in early 2021.
PHOTO GALLERY

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Photo Credits: S. Baldauf/SB-Medien for CarScoops

 

[Yaz]

Looks like the wagoneer.