During the launch of the refreshed 2017 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk this week in Las Vegas, it was revealed that while he Australian market car will certainly receive the 3.0-litre turbodiesel engine, a petrol option for the variant is much less certain.
Speaking to CarAdvice, Lucy McLellan, the director of corporate communications for Fiat Chrysler Australia said that while it isn’t impossible, it’s highly unlikely that the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk will be offered with a petrol engine in our market, saying, “[At this stage] we think the diesel is the only engine we’ll take in Australia. That’s not confirmed though, but we believe the diesel engine makes most sense [for Australia].”
With the bulk of off-roading Australians opting for diesel power plants over petrols, Jeep Australia’s decision to offer the Trailhawk exclusively as a diesel makes a lot of sense. A diesel Trailhawk would offer far more range and durability compared to a petrol-powered version, and this fits perfectly in the Trailhawk’s nature as an all-capable, all-conquering off-road behemoth.
Along with the Trailhawk, the Grand Cherokee Summit will be making its debut in the Australian market before the middle of 2017. The two new trim lines will expand on the existing lineup for the Grand Cherokee in Australia, which will now comprise of: Laredo, Limited, Overland, Trailhawk, Summit, and then the range-topping SRT.
Jeep Australia certainly hopes that this will help combat the slump that Grand Cherokee sales have suffered from in recent years. On this, McLellan said that “It’s not one single factor. A refreshed product, a refreshed approach to sales, marketing, and most importantly customer service, will assist in turning around the recent downward trend in Grand Cherokee sales.”
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