It’s a sad day for fans as the Cherokee is no longer in production at the Stellantis Belvidere, Illinois plant. The 2023 Jeep Cherokee is dead as the manufacturing plant closes for the time being. Stellantis hasn’t yet announced the future of the smaller Cherokee, but did offer some comfort when asked for comment.
The 2023 Jeep Cherokee is dead for now
reported this week that the Jeep Cherokee is dead as Stellantis shut down its manufacturing plant with no clear plans moving forward. As automakers transition to electric vehicles over the next few years, the Cherokee’s fate remains unknown.
reported last month that the Belvidere, Ill., plant would be shut down, which the automaker calls “idle.” There are plans to convert the entire plant from producing internal combustion vehicles to electric vehicles, but this process is time-consuming and expensive. AP says the Starlings employed a whopping 1,350 workers before going idle.
Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis, said he was looking for ways to maintain the vehicle manufacturing facility, but was left without a car to build late last month. “We have to adapt to this new world; the reality of market transformation is the reality we have to face.”
Stellantis says the Jeep Cherokee has been sacrificed for future EVs
Tavares said that the production of electric vehicles compared to traditional gasoline vehicles is 40% more expensive. Stellantis said it didn’t want to pass those charges on to consumers, so it had to absorb the costs. Sales of the Jeep Cherokee have slowed in recent years as driver preferences have changed.
Jeep has cut many of the trim levels previously available on the Cherokee this year. The Altitude Lux or Trailhawk trim were the only options available. Jeep also cut the V6 engine out of available options. Even though the writing has been on the wall for a while, it’s sad to see the Cherokee go without much hope for future models.
MotorTrend reached out to Jeep with questions about where the Cherokee might be headed. “We will make an announcement regarding the next generation Jeep Cherokee in due course. All [existing] Jeep brand vehicles will offer an electrified variant by 2025, including four zero-emission vehicles in North America and Europe.”
Don’t expect an announcement anytime soon
While vague, it appears the next-generation Jeep Cherokee will return as a hybrid or electric vehicle. Jeep was particularly affected by the , which meant fewer Cherokees rolling off the production line. The complications of COVID-19 have also meant fewer workers at times.
says Stellantis has sometimes decided to discontinue the Cherokee to divert semiconductor chips to its more profitable vehicles. Vehicles such as the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Ram pickup trucks were prioritized over inferior sellers. In the highly competitive segment, other compact SUVs have received significant updates in recent years. Jeep cut trim levels and options to streamline production, but it was too little, too late, for the Cherokee.
While the Jeep Cherokee is dead for now, hopefully it will be back in some capacity in the next few years. The closing manufacturing facility is the largest employer in Belvidere, which will have a significant impact on the city and community.
