After making a name for itself nearly a half-century ago, the Jeep Cherokee, which has endured off and on through a number of iterations, has been dropped from the lineup.
What started life as a body-on-frame SUV in 1974 later morphed into the resilient XJ built from 1984 to 2001, when it was replaced by the Liberty (which was called Cherokee in overseas markets). The Cherokee XJ also lived on through licensed production in China through 2014, when Jeep reintroduced the Cherokee name back into its North American lineup as a midsize crossover. But the Cherokee by then had lost its luster.
Cherokee watchers could divine the end coming two months ago, after Jeep product planners radically slimmed down the Cherokee lineup to only two and reduced engine choices to a naturally-aspirated inline-four and a 270 horsepower turbo. If the Cherokee reemerges in some form, it will likely be in zero-emissions form, as Jeep has made it clear that it will build electrified variants of all Jeep brands by 2025.
At any rate, the Cherokee’s legacy (and its name) live on the Grand Cherokee, a large, upscale SUV that was renewed with high-tech touches and a plug-in hybrid offering in 2022.
The name, in fact, came under fire two years ago, when the chief of the Cherokee Nation asked Jeep to stop using the tribe’s name on its vehicles. “I’m sure this comes from a place that is well-intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car,” Chuck Hoskin Jr., principal chief of the Cherokee Nation, said at the time.
There was no word from Stellantis on if that request figured into their decision, but the company told several outlets that they remain committed to the light SUV segment. No future vehicle plans were immediately disclosed, but given the rising popularity of the 4xe plug-in hybrid (PHEV) series of models in the Jeep lineup, the future of the segment seems clearly pointed towards electrification at some level.
The Cherokee grew out of the Jeep Wagoneer in 1974 as a lighter, lither off-roading and generally more sporty driving option to the Wagoneer’s largess. It featured two fewer doors and in 1984, as parent company AMC sputtered, it transitioned to a unibody platform and largely kicked off the modern Sport Utility Vehicle segment, or what we call the “SUV” today. Resurgent Chrysler scooped up the Jeep brand as AMC perished, and it currently resides with RAM, Fiat, Alfa, Opel, Maserati and others under the Stellantis umbrella.
It gained back the two doors in 1977 but by then the pattern was set for the Cherokee to appeal to a more youth-oriented market. Over the decades, more than three million Cherokees were produced. But after the Cherokee was co-badged as the Liberty in the early 2,000s, sales continued to slip away to competitors. Stellantis idled the Illinois plant where the Cherokee is made on March 1st and its fate – and that of the 1,500 jobs there – remains unclear.
