Jeep delays new SUV, further extends Cherokee

DaimlerChrysler Corp. has pushed back the launch of its new '02 Jeep sport/utility vehicle, slated to replace the Cherokee. DCC says the move is to maximize sales of the current Cherokee and not due to major engineering problems with the new model. Officials will not put a date on the launch, but admit it has been "re-timed." The delay of the new SUV coincides with a delay in the buildout of the 17-year-old Cherokee. It was slated to build out in March '01, but that date has been extended by seven months, says Thomas Sidlik, general manager of Jeep operations. Others tell Ward's the date will likely be later than October 2001. Cherokee sales are tracking higher than the record 199,333 sold worldwide in 1999.