Posted on 04/20/2013 9:27:01 PM PDT by haffast
SHANGHAI (Reuters) - - In order to compete in the fast-growing SUV market in China, Jeep wants to produce a vehicle in the No. 1 global auto market by the end of 2014, Jeep's top executive said on Saturday at the Shanghai auto show.
The "obvious choice" for a Jeep product to be made in China is the Cherokee, which was recently introduced in Jeep's primary U.S. market and will be on sale in the fourth quarter in China, said Mike Manley, CEO of the Jeep brand of the Chrysler Group.
Manley said the Cherokee is the best choice to be made in China because that size SUV market is growing quickly and also that the model is fresh in its life cycle.
Manley said the Cherokee would easily be able to be made at the new plant owned by the 50/50 joint venture between Fiat SpA and Chrysler and Guangzhou Automobile Group Co in Changsha, capital of the Hunan province.
Manley in January at the Detroit auto show revealed that the company would work with GAC to produce a Jeep in China for the local market.
But first, the joint venture must be expanded to include Jeep in addition to Fiat and Chrysler as owners of the non-Chinese half of it.
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Manley said there are no plans to produce a Jeep model exclusively for China market, which in 2009 overtook the United States as the largest auto market in the world.
China is Jeep's second-biggest market, behind the United States.
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Jeeps made in China will not affect plans for production at the Toledo, Ohio plant where the Cherokee is made now, Chrysler officials have said.
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(Excerpt) Read more at news.yahoo.com ...
I do the same thing - especially if they've got the Obama bumper sticker on the back (seems to be a requirement for Prius ownership out here).
The interior cab space in the F-150 is such a refreshing change from the Jeep. And ironically, I'm getting about 4 MPG more than the Jeep with the F-150 (Ecoboost).
I had a mid 90s Cherokee. It was a rugged little beast but terrible gas mileage for the size. Not nearly as good as typical full size pickups.
Not sure what it is that causes Jeep vehicles to get such bad mileage. I was amazed that a car with so little power could get such bad mileage. When it was almost new, my Wrangler wit he V6 engine got at best 14 MPG on the highway if I drove very conservatively. I was probably getting 12-13 MPG highway with it when I sold it. My F-150 gets about 19 MPG on the highway, and even on my work commute I am getting about 16-17 MPG consistently. The only downside is it’s significantly more challenging to park.
I put synthetic oil in the diffs, t-case, trans, and engine.
Had Michelin tires, free flow exhaust system, etc.
Rarely got to even 15 mpg.
Now I have a Caddy SUV that does 19-20 most all the time.
...Indeed, through the first half of this year [2010], GM has sold more cars in China (1.2 million vehicles) than in the U.S. (1.08 million). And GM expects to sell more than three million cars there annually within five years...
...Buick’s success in China helped to save the brand from the fates of Pontiac, Oldsmobile, and Saturn. In 2009, China accounted for 450,000 Buick sales; in the U.S. last year, Buick sales barely broke 100,000...
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