- The Jeep Cherokee nameplate is set to return, with production expected to start in late 2025.
- Initially, the SUV won’t be electric, offering a choice of conventional and hybrid options.
- While the exact price is unknown, it’s projected to stay under $40,000.
The Jeep Cherokee helped to popularize SUVs, so its absence has been notable. Besides being an iconic nameplate, the brand regularly sold over 200,000 units annually in the United States.
While sales plummeted in recent years, the Cherokee is set for a return. Car & Driver reports the model is coming “soon” as Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa confirmed plans for a new D-segment SUV. Filosa didn’t mention the Cherokee by name, but the executive said you can “probably guess what it will be called.”
More: Stellantis To Indefinitely Idle Jeep Cherokee Plant, UAW Calls Move “Unacceptable”
Little else is known about the model at this point, but The Drive is reporting that it won’t be an EV, at least initially. Filosa also reportedly confirmed multiple powertrains as he said “we will have a few options.” These are slated to include conventional and hybrid offerings.
The redesigned Cherokee is slated to go into production in the second half of 2025 and cost under $40,000. The exact price remains a mystery, but the 2023 Cherokee began at $37,695. However, before Jeep went insane on pricing, the 2021 model could be had for $28,135.
That price hike can partially explain why Cherokee sales took a nosedive in recent years. In 2021, the company sold 89,126 Cherokees but that number dropped to 40,322 the following year, before tallying a mere 24,610 units in 2023.
As a refresher, Jeep announced plans to idle the Belvidere assembly plant that built the Cherokee in late 2022. At the time, Stellantis said it was a “difficult but necessary action” as “our industry has been adversely affected by a multitude of factors like the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the global microchip shortage.” However, the automaker noted the “most impactful challenge is the increasing cost related to the electrification of the automotive market.”
