The four-wheel-drive that cemented Jeep’s reputation in Australia is saying goodbye, but an all-new model is on the horizon.
The Jeep Cherokee is leaving Australia after almost three decades.
Jeep parent company Stellantis has quietly killed off right-hand-drive manufacturing of the current-generation Cherokee, ending an unbroken 28 years of sales in Australia.
“Production of the Jeep Cherokee for main markets outside of North America, including right-hand-drive models, is ending in a drive to focus marketing and sales resources into key volume models,” the company said in a statement.
“The Jeep Cherokee continues to be manufactured for Canada, the US and South Korea – where a version with a similar specification to North America is sold.”
While the Jeep Cherokee was sold for a handful of years here in the early 1980s, it wasn’t until the iconic XJ Cherokee (below) was introduced in 1994 when the brand really found its footing in Australia – paving the way for the Wrangler in 1996.
MORE: Jeep to roll-out three new electric vehicles in Australia
The news of the Cherokee’s demise marks a generational shift for Jeep, with the brand set to introduce a number of all-new models in the coming years – many of which are bound for Australia.
It’s suggested a new electric Cherokee may be unveiled in 2023, with a right-hand-drive version to eventually go on sale here in the future.
The five-seater Jeep Grand Cherokee is also expected to launch here in 2023, while the smaller Recon and larger Wagoneer S were confirmed for Australia by the company’s global boss last month – the latter two vehicles being purely electric.
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