If it’s one thing automakers are good at, it’s finding ways to get customers to pay more. Special editions and exclusive top-level trims with all the bells and whistles can add tens of thousands of dollars to a car’s price tag and increase corporate profit margins. Just ask Porsche. Jeep might be moving in that direction with the next-generation Cherokee.
According to a new MoparInsiders report, Jeep will launch a small Wagoneer model based on the next-generation Cherokee. The publication’s “sources” told it that Jeep would build the new Wagoneer on the new STLA Large platform. The platform is set to underpin a variety of vehicles from the Stellantis brand, and it’s designed to accommodate battery-electric powertrains. The smaller Wagoneer will allegedly join the Jeep lineup in 2024 or 2025.
Gallery: 2022 Jeep Cherokee
While Jeep Cherokee sales have been better, a next-generation model is coming. Jeep’s global president, Christian Meunier, told Motor Trend that the new Cherokee would be bigger and better than the current model. However, he also told the publication that we would not see it debut this year and that it will heavily feature electrification.
The current Jeep Cherokee launched in 2014, debuting a controversial split-headlight design that disappeared with the mid-cycle refresh for 2019. Jeep might have been ahead of that design trend. However, the crossover segment has changed since the Cherokee launched, with an influx of both fresh competitors and new electric vehicles into the segment. The Jeep Cherokee is due for a major makeover.
Jeep has ambitious plans to electrify its lineup in the coming years, with a new family SUV set to arrive sometime in 2024. Jeep will also launch a small EV crossover in 2023, though it sounds like it’ll be closer in size to the Jeep Compass. We know a Jeep Cherokee is on the way, and we know automakers like making money, so designing a top-tier Cherokee Wagoneer when consumers are still crazy for crossovers seems like a smart move.
