The ʼ16 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk sold in Japan now comes in green – figuratively.
Manufacturer Fiat Chrysler Automobiles says the SUV is the first gasoline-powered, U.S.-made, U.S.-branded passenger vehicle to qualify for Japan’s eco-car tax incentive.
The Trailhawk, powered by a 3.2L Pentastar V-6, qualifies for Japan’s ¥58,000 ($532) green-car tax break thanks to its 4-Star emissions rating and fuel-efficiency rating of 22.8 mpg (10.3 km/L). This outperforms the eco-car qualification benchmark by 3%, FCA says.
“At Jeep, we don’t sacrifice operating efficiency for capability,” Jeep brand chief Mike Manley, FCA global lead executive for international operations, says in a statement. “This achievement vindicates our efforts to deliver products that resonate in a highly complex industry climate.”
The 3.2L Pentastar shares design features with the 3.6L Pentastar, a three-time Wards 10 Best Engines winner. The smaller-displacement V-6, which is rated at 272 hp with 239 lb.-ft. (315 Nm) of torque, offers fuel-saving stop-start technology and delivers power to FCA’s TorqueFlite 9-speed automatic transmission.
The SUV, built alongside all other Jeep products at FCA’s Toledo, OH, plant, arrives at Japan dealerships in May.
Sales of all Jeep models in Japan totaled 7,129 in 2015, up 6.5% from 6,691 in the prior year, according to WardsAuto data.
