Signs of life from Chrysler

At the New York Auto Show, the ailing US car giant Chrysler showed there's life in the old dog yet with the debut of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. As before, this large SUV is based on the same platform as the Mercedes M-Class, but the looks have been considerably pepped up. The biggest external changes compared with the current model are to be found in the now more angular front as well as in the side profile of the five-seater. The overall length of the Grand Cherokee has been increased by five centimetres and the wheelbase has extended by 13cm to 2.92 metres. This means that passengers on the back seat can stretch out their legs a bit more. In choosing an engine for the European market, they are likely to stick with the six-cylinder diesel built in cooperation with Daimler and familiar to us from the previous model. The new Jeep offers three different four-wheel drive systems. This SUV won't be appearing on the American market until the end of 2010. No announcement has been made about any launch date for Europe.