Today?s Jeep Grand Cherokee was split at birth from Mercedes-Benz?s mid-size M-class (now named GLE-class), the two SUVs having shared a development path years ago during the DaimlerChrysler era. With Daimler long out of the picture and the now seven-year-old Jeep Grand Cherokee aging?quite gracefully, we might add?Fiat Chrysler must begin work on a replacement. But what platform to use" At the Detroit auto show, the automaker?s CEO, Sergio Marchionne, told us the next Grand Cherokee will borrow components from Alfa Romeo.
Specifically, the next Grand Cherokee is to be spun off Alfa Romeo rear-drive chassis architecture. Although Marchionne didn’t elaborate much, we’re assuming he was talking about the same bones that form the basis for the Giulia sedan and the upcoming Stelvio SUV. They also happen to comprise Fiat Chrysler’s freshest rear-drive-based component set, the longitudinal drive layout being a virtual requirement for the traditional four-wheel-drive equipment (including a two-speed transfer case with low-range gearing) that the Grand Cherokee is guaranteed to offer. The news isn’t a surprise, but it is illuminating about Fiat Chrysler’s thinking on economies of scale and platform sharing among its numerous brands.
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