FCA US has shown off a first look at the freshened 2019 Jeep Cherokee, featuring a new front fascia that keeps the previous version’s daytime LED running light strip but changes the light stack to give the SUV a less polarizing appearance.
The automaker plans to release full details on the updated Cherokee at a Jan. 16 press conference at the Detroit auto show (NAIAS), including details of what FCA said Tuesday would be “more fuel-efficient powertrain options” for the midsize SUV. The interior also has been refreshed to give it a more upscale appearance.
U.S. sales of the Cherokee have dropped 18 percent to 150,524 this year through November
Production of the Cherokee moved from Toledo, Ohio, to Belivdere, Ill., this year to allow FCA to expand production of the Jeep Wrangler and introduce a Wrangler-based pickup, the Jeep Scrambler, in Toledo.
The 2019 Cherokee’s powertrain is expected to distance itself from the slightly smaller Compass, which was introduced last year and is powered by inline-four engines, while keeping space between it and the larger Grand Cherokee in Jeep’s expanding lineup.
