Yahoo Autos The Last Jeep Cherokee Rolls Off the Line at Belvidere Assembly Plant
After a six-year run at the Belvidere Assembly Plant, Jeep Cherokee production is coming to an end. What could turn out to be the last Jeep Cherokee ever rolled off the assembly line on Tuesday, as Autoblog reports, and the Belvidere Plant has gone idle. The future of the Cherokee is now in question, as well as that of the Illinois plant and the 2,300 workers affected by Stellantis idling Belvidere.
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Jeep Cherokee production winding down is hardly a surprise at this point: Stellantis had announced it would be idling Belvidere in December of last year. Sales of the Jeep Cherokee have been declining steadily for months, which is in stark contrast to other small-to-midsize SUVs from Jeep’s rivals, including the massively popular Toyota RAV4.
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The Cherokee has struggled to find its footing in America despite a familiar (and, sometimes, controversial) badge even with the expanded capabilities and options that Jeep added to the latest generation — namely, the release of the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. But it looks like midsize SUV buyers in the U.S. would rather have hybrids or plug-in hybrids as opposed to off-road packages.
Jeep has so far not announced specific plans for the electrification of the Cherokee, but the company shared a statement about the SUV’s future, saying:
The Jeep brand is fully committed to expanding its presence in the mid-size SUV segment, one of the largest in the world. The brand recently announced the introduction of two new fully electric, mid-size SUVs that will begin production in 2024. We will make an announcement regarding the next generation Jeep Cherokee in due course. All Jeep brand vehicles will offer an electrified variant by 2025, including four zero-emission vehicles in North America and in Europe.
