The 2014 Jeep Liberty undergoing testing prior to its introduction at the NY Auto Show.
Chrysler Group is planning to show off the new version of the Jeep Liberty at the New York Auto Show, Mike Manley, president and chief executive officer of the Jeep brand has confirmed.
Manley also said Chrysler plans to have the new version of the Liberty on sale by “the end of the second quarter,” following its debut in New York at the end of March.
Other sources inside Jeep said the final, final call on the name for the upcoming vehicle has yet to be nailed down. There is plenty of speculation Jeep could drop the Liberty name and start fresh. The final call, however, will be made by Manley and other Chrysler executives prior to the unveiling at New York’s Jacob Javits Convention Center.
The Liberty replacement is one of the Chrysler Group’s key launches this year as the automaker continues its efforts to build Jeep into a truly global brand. The new Liberty is expected to remain smaller and lighter than the new Grand Cherokee but still have the off-road capability that is one of the Jeep brand’s trademarks.
As TheDetroitBureau.com’s spy photographers showed last week, images of a heavily camouflaged Liberty undergoing road testing reveals a new independent rear suspension – a major change from the old Jeep Liberty.
(To check out more of those spy shots, Click Here.)
Chrysler/Fiat Chief Executive Officer Sergio Marchionne said last month Chrysler plans to launch 47 all-new or significantly refreshed models over the next four years, including six from the Italian Alfa Romeo brand which is scheduled to make its return to the U.S. market late in 2013.
Jeep appears to be getting a disproportionate share of that capital to update the Grand Cherokee, Compass and Patriot models –announcements made at last month’s Detroit Auto Show – the Liberty and possibly to bring back the old Jeep Grand Wagoneer. A new entry-level Jeep is also in the works and will be produced in Italy.
“We are overspending, and we understand this. But we are doing this with a very clear agenda and a very clear intent,” Marchionne said during a conference call with analysts and reporters. “We’ve earned a lot of goodwill by providing a dramatic improvement in the quality of our products and by launching what we have launched. I still think that we need to continue to pound the ground.”
Jeep boss Manley, however, did say the new version of the Jeep Grand Cherokee being built at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit is already starting to be exported to the Middle East. Vehicle standards in that region are very similar to those used in the used in the U.S., making it easier to prepare models like the Jeep Grand Cherokee for shipment to countries in that part of the world, Manley said.
“Europe will come next and then Asia,” he added.
An exported Grand Cherokee sold in China is very pricey but it also considered by customers to be a premium vehicle by Chinese motorists, looking for status, he said.
Jeep ultimately plans to assemble its products in China, a move the maker believes it is critical to take the line from niche to mainstream there.
The only issue I see with the Liberty name plate is in Urrup and countries that may be hate filled over the U.S. feeding, clothing and defending over half of the world.
Marchionne is naive if he thinks consumers won’t soon see thru the perceived “dramatic” quality improvements in the Chrysler/RAM/Jeep brands. They have been decent brands for some time and nothing since Fiat bought Chrysler has changed the quality level substantially. It’s all perception. Wait until customers get some run time on the Fiat based products or try to get service parts… THAT will be a reality check.
Wait, you mean Fiats will break down?
Jeez and here I was thinking that only a couple of years ago Jeep and the whole group was going down the drain. Bankrupt, KAPUT, belly up. And here I was believing that it was FIAT instead who believed and saved the company. What was I thinking? This very well US made company didn’t need FIAT to rescue them. They were doing so FINE by themselves, right?? The last time Chrysler vehicle had any upgrade was in the late 70s and here FIAT spending lots of money and bring 47 newly updated models to the market. And wait, it gets better: Fiat = poor quality and the Chrysler was what? The Mercedes of the US?? Speaking of Mercedes, didn’t they buy them out too and then dropped the whole thing cause they thought they were hopeless? Hum…those Italians…..the only ones believing that American made cars and workers deserved better than they did. How foolish is that, right?? Let’s hope TOYOTA or SUBARU or some Chinese company would buy them out. It would be so much better. And the quality of Chinese stuff oh man. You guys are two perfect IDIOTS who know nothing about cars and made fools out of yourselves. Way too go really. You must be two elementary school dropouts.
Actually Chrysler/Jeep/RAM are selling the products that they developed long before Marchionne came on board after Fiat bought Chrysler to try to sell Fiats in America.
IME and that of many other owners, Chrysler’s quality was a perception issue more than a reality. There quality did not make huge improvements which is what Marchionne falsely believes. Consumer perception of the brand improved with new ownership, but that will be short lived.
As far as Mercedes they did exactly what Fiat is doing. They bought Chrysler to increase profits and market penetration of products produced outside the U.S. Mercedes bailed because they do not understand the U.S. market well as even their luxury models demonstrate. Fiat will pull the same deal in a few years when they are unable to sell enough Fiats with Chrysler/Jeep/RAM name plates.
There are many naive people in the world and they are the ones who believe that Chysler’s product quality just magically became wonderful on the cars designed and manufactured by the same people who have been doing this work for many years before and after Fiat bought Chrylser. There was no major quality issue to magically improve from, it was a perception issue.