While deliveries of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee face delay due to a possible glitch in the new 9-speed automatic transmission, the SUV has started its testing program in South Korea suggesting that the country could be one of its first international markets.
Jeep's Korean lineup at the moment is comprised of the Wrangler, Grand Cherokee and Compass models.
The new Cherokee made its global debut at the New York Auto Show earlier this year. The car was originally slated to reach American showrooms by August but the automaker had announced that the deliveries would be delayed by a month due to various pre-launch issues.
View our images from the global premiere of the Jeep Cherokee
Recently, Jeep was more specific in explaining the reason for the postponement. The new 9-speed gearbox of the Cherokee which is the earliest of its kind, was posing problems.
In June, Jeep started producing the Cherokee at its Toledo plant in the US. However the inventory will not leave yards until the transmission issue is solved.
The powertrain options are a 2.4 litre Tigershark petrol engine that churns out 184bhp and a 3.2 Pentastar V6 petrol motor that develops a higher 271bhp.
It's said that the transmission issue could be solved by a mere software revision. Hopefully, Jeep would program out the bugs and commence deliveries before the end of this year.
Jeep will start its Indian innings during Diwali 2013 with the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler. If things head in the right direction, the Cherokee could join this lineup at a later stage.
[Source: Bobaedream.co.kr]
