After a six-year run on the Belvidere Assembly Plant, Jeep Cherokee manufacturing is coming to an finish. What might turn into the final Jeep Cherokee ever rolled off the meeting line on Tuesday, as Autoblog experiences, and the Belvidere Plant has gone idle. The way forward for the Cherokee is now in query, in addition to that of the Illinois plant and the two,300 employees affected by Stellantis idling Belvidere.
In case you missed it:
Jeep Cherokee manufacturing winding down is hardly a shock at this level: Stellantis had introduced it could be idling Belvidere in December of final yr. Sales of the Jeep Cherokee have been declining steadily for months, which is in stark distinction to different small-to-midsize SUVs from Jeep’s rivals, together with the massively in style Toyota RAV4.
The Cherokee has struggled to search out its footing in America regardless of a well-known (and, generally, controversial) badge even with the expanded capabilities and choices that Jeep added to the newest era — particularly, the discharge of the Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk. But it appears to be like like midsize SUV consumers within the U.S. would moderately have hybrids or plug-in hybrids versus off-road packages.
Jeep has up to now not introduced particular plans for the electrification of the Cherokee, however the firm shared a press release concerning the SUV’s future, saying:
The Jeep model is totally dedicated to increasing its presence within the mid-size SUV section, one of many largest on the planet. The model lately introduced the introduction of two new totally electrical, mid-size SUVs that may start manufacturing in 2024. We will make an announcement concerning the following era Jeep Cherokee sooner or later. All Jeep model automobiles will provide an electrified variant by 2025, together with 4 zero-emission automobiles in North America and in Europe.
G/O Media might get a fee
According to Stellantis, the Jeep Cherokee isn’t going away fully. And if the corporate is, certainly, planning to promote EV variants of each Jeep it makes, then a Cherokee 4Xe might see the sunshine of day each time the following era is revealed. The firm is being cryptic concerning the timeline, nevertheless, and “due course” doesn’t reveal a lot.
The firm’s newest investments into home EV manufacturing within the U.S. recommend that smaller SUVs are usually not a priority for now. Around the identical time that Stellantis confirmed that it could droop manufacturing at Belvidere, the corporate additionally introduced a $155 million funding for its manufacturing facilities in Indiana.
Three (roughly) adjoining meeting crops in Kokomo will work in tandem to construct EV drivetrains that’ll go within the upcoming STLA Large and STLA Frame platforms. But it’s unclear if a doable Cherokee-based EV will probably be made utilizing both of these, or if in any respect. Stellantis is engaged on two different EV platforms (for a complete of 4) because it ramps up EV manufacturing throughout its manufacturers.
For now, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares says the plant is being idled moderately than closed altogether, in response to Automotive News. But the corporate missed the Illinois plant when deciding the place to funnel any sources meant for future EV manufacturing. Unfortunately, that transition is behind Stellantis idling manufacturing at Belvidere after 58 years of meeting on the web site: the plant has been making FCA vehicles for many years, together with the Plymouth Fury, Dodge Neon and Jeep Compass. Jeep Cherokee manufacturing had been ongoing since 2017.
Now that the plant is idle, some 2,300 employees are being adversely affected. These employees are represented by the United Automobile, Aerospace and Agricultural Implement Workers of America (UAW), nevertheless, and the Union has been in talks with Stellantis over the “indefinite layoffs” at Belvidere. Some employees are being relocated, whereas others had been giving the choice to retire early.
That doesn’t bode effectively for what Tavares known as the “idling” of Belvidere versus its closure. And the timing on this couldn’t be worse: the UAW will probably be renegotiating its contracts with the Big 3 from Detroit this yr. It’s seemingly that Belvidere will probably be one of many rallying factors for the UAW throughout tense negotiations with Ford, GM and Stellantis.
Source: jalopnik.com