The Jeep Grand Cherokee L, the first of 4 luxury Jeeps to face the premium brands

Jeep is ready to start the new year with a big product offensive. The brand has been in dire need of new products since its last launch back in 2018, but according to the plans, in 2021 we should see 5 all-new vehicles that should hit the showrooms between H2 2021 and H2 2022. The new Jeep Grand Cherokee L is the first of 4 luxury Jeeps that will put Jeep in the race against the premium brands.

The Grand Cherokee L is built on a completely new platform not used by any current product. The “L” in its name is related to its length and capacity to host up to 7 passengers. This is the long version of a coming all-new Grand Cherokee with 5 seats that should be presented in Q2 2021. Jeep is due to attack the premium SUV market from below with these two products.

Grand Cherokee and Grand Cherokee L from below

The plan is to position the Grand Cherokee L somewhere between the mainstream Ford Explorer and the premium BMW X7. Both of them have 3 rows and sit in the E-SUV Large segment. Then the regular Grand Cherokee will continue to become the American alternative to the small E-SUVs like the BMW X5, Toyota 4Runner, etc.

These two SUVs are expected to play the international role in the premium expansion of Jeep. There is demand not only in North America but also in China and Europe. Actually, after the introduction of the new Explorer in Europe, Ford is posting decent sales figures every month.

Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer at the top

Jeep will grow upwards with the upcoming Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, that will use a truck-based platform and be bigger and more expensive. These vehicles were somehow anticipated in September 2020 when Jeep revealed the Grand Wagoneer Concept, an extremely boxy luxury SUV that will look very similar to the final production version.

I expect the Wagoneer to become a mid-solution between a Chevrolet Tahoe and a Cadillac Escalade, or a Ford Expedition and a Lincoln Navigator. This is what I call the E-SUV Full Size segment, quite popular in North America in both mainstream and premium categories. They are not available anywhere else except in the Middle East, where they fit very well with the big petrol engine vehicles culture.

The Grand Wagoneer is going to be the biggest Jeep ever, and the response to the Cadillac Escalade ESV and Lincoln Navigator L, but also to their mainstream brothers, the Chevrolet Suburban/GMC Yukon XL and Ford Expedition Max. Sales of these vehicles in USA, Canada, Mexico and Puerto Rico totaled 116,500 units in 2020, down by 26%.