FCA India recently announced a massive USD 250 million investment for four new Jeep SUVs that will be locally assembled in India. This includes the 2021 Jeep Compass, a seven-seater Jeep SUV as well as the Wrangler and the fifth generation Grand Cherokee, both of which will be assembled at the brand's Ranjangaon facility outside of Pune. In the wake of this announcement, FCA North America is set to premiere a new SUV today, the long wheelbase Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the model that will be launched in India next year.
The Grand Cherokee L will be the three-row version of the regular SUV and will get increased dimensions to accommodate seven passengers. A two-row five-seater will also be available internationally; however India is likely to get a fully loaded long wheelbase version as a CKD. In terms of design, the Grand Cherokee L will be reminiscent of the Grand Wagoneer concept with plenty of modern touches like LED lighting all-around, sleeker headlamps, gloss-black roof and 21-inch wheels on the top trims.
In standard configuration, the current Grand Cherokee gets a 3.6-litre ‘Pentastar’ V6 that pumps 289bhp and 352Nm of torque. In higher variants, the international models can be had with the more powerful 5.7-litre V8 engine and then there’s also the monstrous 6.2-litre ‘HEMI’ V8 powering the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk that churns 700bhp and 874Nm of torque. But don’t get too excited, India is expected to get smaller capacity engines (displacement not confirmed yet) with an array of powertrain options including petrol, diesel and hybrid.
Currently, Jeep India has the Compass, Compass Trailhawk, Wrangler and the Wrangler Rubicon in its portfolio. Expect the Grand Cherokee L to be the larger and more luxurious sibling that will rival the likes of Mercedes-Benz GLS and BMW X7. The long wheelbase SUV gets revealed tonight at 10:30pm, stay tuned for more information.