Seven-seat Grand Cherokee rejected, new vehicle in works


By RICK KRANZ | Automotive News

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. -- CEO Dieter Zetsche says Chrysler group product planners considered a seven-seat Grand Cherokee but quickly rejected it.

Loyal buyers want a five-seat version, he said at a press event here. So the company will produce a separate nameplate with its own identity and sheet metal. That vehicle will debut about 12 months after the 2005 Grand Cherokee goes into production this fall.

"There was strong agreement that the important characteristics of the Grand Cherokee are its nimbleness and compact dimensions," Zetsche said. "We definitely did not want to sacrifice those."

The plan is for both vehicles to share the same platform, he said.

"Rather than having an extended version like some competitors, we will go with a stand-alone nameplate," he said. "We will have a much wider scope with two vehicles having different characteristics than just short and long wheelbases."

Source:AutoWeek

redriderbob

__________________
2000 Dodge Durango SLT 4X4
Loaded.

2005 Kawasaki KLR650.

http://www.myspace.com/redriderbob