Arguably the primary trendy SUV, the Jeep Cherokee has been canceled after 49 years. We’re getting the discover a bit late. A Jeep spokesperson confirms to Carscoops the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that constructed the Cherokee “was idled on the finish of February, and manufacturing of the 2023 Cherokee ended when the plant was idled.”
A Traditionally Essential Nameplate
Automobile lovers and automotive historians prefer to argue, so that you’ll by no means get them to agree on the exact second the fashionable SUV was born. However Jeep makes a reasonably convincing argument for the early Cherokee autos beginning the craze. The 1974 first-generation Cherokee used the phrase “sports activities utility automobile” in a advertising and marketing brochure — probably its first use by an automaker.
However the first model was a basic, body-on-frame mannequin like a pickup truck. Its 1984 successor was the watershed second for Jeep. As the primary mainstream SUV constructed with light-weight unibody development, it set the design ethos Jeep SUVs nonetheless use as we speak.
By 1992, Jeep would spin off the bigger Grand Cherokee. For many years, that grew to become the model’s flagship — a much bigger vendor and better-known. But it surely owes its existence to the little Cherokee.
The Grand Cherokee, we needs to be clear, isn’t going wherever. Jeep has solely introduced the cancelation of the compact Cherokee.
Pale in Latest Years
Extra not too long ago, the Cherokee has light in significance. The enduring Wrangler, sales-leading Grand Cherokee, Gladiator pickup, and even the subcompact Compass outsell it many months.
In the present day’s Cherokee is lauded for being among the many greatest off-road architectures of any present compact SUV, however few Individuals take their compact SUVs far off-road. The everyday-livable crossover structure the Cherokee as soon as pioneered has turned the compact SUV into an incredible commuter platform and a grocery-run grasp with all-weather functionality. The Cherokee, as soon as a pioneer, now lives in a crowded area with many lookalikes.
Jeep has by no means been an organization that got down to construct an indistinguishable automobile. So the corporate will return to the drafting board with plans to return to the compact SUV area with one thing extra identifiable.
“Now we have plans for that essential automobile in that essential section, which we are going to reveal in due time,” a spokesman says.
Many Nonetheless on Vendor Tons
Within the meantime, sellers nonetheless have some Cherokee autos on heaps.
On the finish of February, our knowledge exhibits, sellers had 101 days’ price of Cherokee fashions in stock. An outdated business rule of thumb tells them to purpose for 60 days’ price. New automobile costs are on the best way down, and the common Cherokee bought for barely under the sticker value final month — earlier than anybody knew the mannequin’s run would finish quickly.
Sellers are sometimes prepared to simply accept much less for canceled fashions as a result of producers cease promoting them, and sellers wish to make room within the showroom for one thing buyers have seen on TV not too long ago.
If you happen to’re within the compact SUV market, this is perhaps a good time to make a barely low provide on an in-stock Cherokee to get a fairly whole lot at a time when these are simply starting to come back again.