Photo: Jeep
It's widely believed that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles ponied up $1 billion or thereabout to develop the Giorgio platform used by the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio utility vehicle. That’s a hell of a lot of money, which is why the automaker is now thinking about expanding applications of the Giorgio platform to its other brands.
Developed with the chassis boffins over at Ferrari, the Giorgio could also finds its way in Jeep’s lineup. A prime candidate is the next-generation Grand Cherokee. According to Sergio Marchionne, “the most natural application of a further evolution of the Alfa Romeo platform is the Grand Cherokee.”
Speaking to Autocar on the grounds of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, the big kahuna highlights that this will be the case “unless something happens in the next 60 days that suggests it [Giorgio] isn’t doable [for the Grand Cherokee].” From this choice of words, I believe that FCA is scratching its head right now, trying to figure if Giorgio is a viable option for a high-volume manufacturer.
From my point of view, the Giorgio platform is a double-edged sword for the Jeep brand. For starters, it’s not as proficient off-road as the Daimler-Chrysler underpinnings from the now-defunct Mercedes-Benz M-Class. On the road, however, Giorgio would offer superior handling and better input response.
According to the latest hearsay in the rumor mill, the next-gen Grand Cherokee is expected to arrive for the 2019 MY and bear the WL chassis code. Considering that Fiat Chrysler officially confirmed that the new Jeep Wagoneer and similarly new Jeep Grand Wagoneer would go into production by 2020, it’s likely the luxed-up models will borrow the GC WL’s backbone.
On that note, the Grand Cherokee WL is rumored to go on sale in September 2018. The fifth-generation model is also expected to adopt the 2.0-liter turbocharged Hurricane engine from the JL Wrangler. Until the new kid arrives on the block, though, we're still looking forward to Jeep's long-awaited SRT Hellcat-engined Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. ETA: MY 2018.
Speaking to Autocar on the grounds of the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, the big kahuna highlights that this will be the case “unless something happens in the next 60 days that suggests it [Giorgio] isn’t doable [for the Grand Cherokee].” From this choice of words, I believe that FCA is scratching its head right now, trying to figure if Giorgio is a viable option for a high-volume manufacturer.
From my point of view, the Giorgio platform is a double-edged sword for the Jeep brand. For starters, it’s not as proficient off-road as the Daimler-Chrysler underpinnings from the now-defunct Mercedes-Benz M-Class. On the road, however, Giorgio would offer superior handling and better input response.
According to the latest hearsay in the rumor mill, the next-gen Grand Cherokee is expected to arrive for the 2019 MY and bear the WL chassis code. Considering that Fiat Chrysler officially confirmed that the new Jeep Wagoneer and similarly new Jeep Grand Wagoneer would go into production by 2020, it’s likely the luxed-up models will borrow the GC WL’s backbone.
On that note, the Grand Cherokee WL is rumored to go on sale in September 2018. The fifth-generation model is also expected to adopt the 2.0-liter turbocharged Hurricane engine from the JL Wrangler. Until the new kid arrives on the block, though, we're still looking forward to Jeep's long-awaited SRT Hellcat-engined Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. ETA: MY 2018.
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