The 2014 Cherokee is the replacement model for the Jeep Liberty and is apparently in the last stages of testing.
The car was previously spotted in the U.S. and now, the Chinese paparazzi snapped up a similarly camouflaged test mule in their country. The 2014 Cherokee is touted to be an important volume generating model in the Jeep's refurbished product lineup.
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee sits on the CUSW platform which also forms the base for the Dodge Dart and the Fiat Viaggio. The latter is manufactured in China and sits right above the Linea in today's lineup. The new Cherokee is expected to have U.S. and China as its production bases. In China, production is slated to start in late 2014 by the Guangzhou-Fiat joint venture and the Cherokee would be imported into China until then.
As far as the appearances go, there is little revealed by the test mule but the overall stance is softer and less edgier than other Jeeps. The SUV is expected to sport daytime running lights and a sleeker headlamp unit. The rear gets horizontal taillight units that extend to the tailgate as well.
Features introduced in the recently unveiled Grand Cherokee such as the upgraded UConnect multimedia infotainment system with a 7" touchscreen would be launched on the Cherokee.
The probable engine options for the new Jeep are, a 3.2 litre Pentastar V6 petrol, a 2.0 litre diesel motor and the 1.4 litre MultiAir turbo petrol from Fiat.
The 2014 Jeep Cherokee may make its public debut at the Geneva Motor show in the first week of March or at the New York Auto Show later that month.
[Source: Auto.ifeng.com]
