The new Jeep Cherokee, a small SUV/Crossover based on an Alfa Romeo platform that we leaked early, is the company's most important new product in a decade. It's a vehicle that'll expand the Jeep in the U.S., is expected to be its biggest seller, and will prove that the company's attempts at platform sharing between Fiat and Chrysler can be extended even to its toughest brand.
It's also a big deal for ZF, which just announced it plans to spend $215 million building 8- and 9-speed transitions in South Carolina.
There is no room for a failure. They have to get it right. That's why, we hear, Jeep delayed their big media launch set for Seattle next week. I'd already had my tickets booked for me and hotels arranged. Reversing everything must have been a huge headache and a cost for the company.
