Next Generation Jeep Cherokee, Coming in 2029

Although the current version of the Jeep Cherokee hit the market earlier this year, Stellantis is already working on the next generation, which is being developed on the new STLA One platform, making it the first model produced in the United States using that architecture.

The multinational automaker estimates that the first vehicles will arrive at dealerships during the second half of 2029. If these plans come to fruition, the midsize SUV currently produced at the Stellantis assembly plant in Toluca will have a life cycle of just three years.

Considered a cornerstone of the FaSTLAne 2030 strategy, announced last May, the STLA One platform is a modular and flexible design conceived to improve product competitiveness, optimize manufacturing efficiency, and simplify vehicle development across more than 30 models worldwide by 2035.

By reducing architectural complexity, increasing efficiency, and leveraging greater scale, Stellantis anticipates that the platform will help deliver more competitive products while reducing engineering and production costs.

The company selected the Belvidere, Illinois, assembly plant as the hub for this program, and as part of the preparations, it will increase its investment—initially projected at $600 million—to more than $800 million. The architecture’s flexibility will allow for the production of all powertrain variants, and the plant is expected to operate on a two-shift schedule.

As of last July, the company had already spent more than 60 million dollars on stamping, body-in-white, painting, and general assembly projects, focused on evaluating, improving, and preparing the infrastructure, equipment, and systems for the plant’s launch. Additional projects are planned for the remainder of the year.

Pilot production of the new-generation Jeep Cherokee is expected to begin in the first half of 2028, with mass production set to start in the second half of 2029.

Stellantis emphasized that the Belvidere plant will play a central role in the execution of the FaSTLAne 2030 strategy; therefore, the complex will produce at least one additional model based on the new architecture.

Some U.S. media outlets are already speculating that this product will be one of the Land Rover Defenders that the multinational and the British off-road vehicle manufacturer will jointly develop for the U.S. market.

In this regard, Antonio Filosa, Stellantis’s global CEO and chief operating officer for North America, simply stated that the launch of the next-generation Cherokee on the STLA One platform will allow the company to “offer a more competitive product, while leveraging the strength of our manufacturing operations in the United States.”

“Selecting the right product architecture, timing, and execution strategy supports our growth strategy and delivers the best long-term results and the greatest stability for our employees, customers, and shareholders,” he concluded.