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Grand Cherokee production dates & milestones |
| 1989 |
| Spring 1989 | Chrysler head Bob Lutz first reveals the Grand Cherokee concept at the 1989 Detroit auto show. |
| 1991 |
| October 1991 | The first Grand Cherokee (code-named "ZJ") is assembled at the Jefferson North Assembly plant (JNAP). A total of 106 pre-production 1993 models are built ahead of the January 14, 1992 production launch. |
| 1992 |
| January, 1992 | The Jeep Grand Cherokee is introduced at the 1992 North American International Auto Show in Detroit and is driven THROUGH the glass walls of the Cobo Exhibition Center by Chrysler President, Bob Lutz. The Grand Cherokee is the first 4x4 to be fitted with a standard driver's side airbag.
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| January 14, 1992 | Production starts for the new 1993 Grand Cherokee. 326 units are built during January and 2,335 more in February. Production gradually increases throughout the year, peaking at 19,000 in October. Sales are successful for the new Grand Cherokee. Total model year retail sales tops 216,000 units. |
| April 19, 1992 | The new 1993 Grand Cherokee is publicly announced. |
| 1993 |
| September 1993 | 1994 models introduced. Grand Wagoneer dropped, new Orvis package, Limited gets 4-wheel disc brakes, side door beams added. |
| 1994 |
| September 1994 | 1995 models introduced. 4-wheel disc brakes become standard on all models, rear tailgate adds optional flip up glass hatch, 5.2L V8 gets modest torque increase, 5-speed manual transmission dropped. |
| October 1994 | Jeep and Steyr Daimler Puch form a joint venture in 1993 and begin production of RHD (and LHD) Grand Cherokees in Graz, Austria in October 1994. |
| 1995 |
| September 1995 | 1996 models introduced. New exterior appearance - grille, fascias, cladding and nameplates and an all-new interior. Driver and passenger air bags are standard, part-time only Command-Trac dropped, refinements to engine make it smoother & quieter. |
| 1996 |
| April 26, 1996 | The one-millionth Grand Cherokee ZJ rolls off the assembly line. |
| June 1996 | WJ conversion begins at JNAP, 365,000 square foot addition to body shop, third paint line added. |
| September 1996 | 1997 models go on sale. New, improved ABS system, new steering column design, upgraded sound systems, new TSi model. |
| 1997 |
| March 26, 1997 | At the New York Auto Show Chrysler formerly announces the powerful new 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.9 Limited, slated for fall availability. "Combines the performance of a 245 horsepower 5.9-liter V-8 engine with more luxury and authentic Jeep capability". Sold in overseas markets as the Grand Cherokee LX. 1997 was the last model year for the 1st generation ZJ series. |
| August 1997 | First WJ F1 pilot vehicles built at CTC (Chrysler Technology Center). Error/mistake-proofing simulations started at JNAP. |
| September 1997 | 1998 models go on sale. Limited gets a new 5.9L optional engine. Orvis designer package dropped. |
| October 7, 1997 | Special Edition 1998 model Grand Cherokee Laredo announced. |
| 1998 |
| May 22, 1998 | The last of 1,662,552 ZJ Grand Cherokees is built. The plant shuts down to retool for the all-new 1999 Grand Cherokee "WJ". |
| June, 1998 | Production starts for the all-new 4.7-liter V-8 engine slated for the 1999 Grand Cherokee. In preparation, the one-million square-foot Mack Avenue Engine facility underwent a three-year, $930 million metamorphosis that left the ceiling and the structural steel as the only original parts. |
| June 15, 1998 | Verification of assembly line equipment begins, with two weeks scheduled for systems trials and debugging. |
| June 16, 1998 | On this day at 1:00pm, the new Grand Cherokee WJ was officially introduced at the Cobo Center in Detroit - this was the world wide introduction of the 2nd generation "All-new 1999 Grand Cherokee", promoted by Chrysler to be "The Most Capable Sport Utility Ever". |
| June 29, 1998 | 1999 WJ production run, 49 vehicles are built 6/29 and 6/30. 126 more WJ pilots are built ahead of the July 17 production launch. |
| July 9, 1998 | Chrysler launches production of its new 45RFE rear-wheel-drive transmission. Along with the 4.7 liter V-8, it will power the 1999 Grand Cherokee and, later, Ram trucks. |
| July 17, 1998 | WJ Job#1 - The Jefferson North Assembly Plant starts up with single-shift production of the new 1999 Grand Cherokee. "The birth of the WJ". A total of 1,456 WJ's are built during July, another 10,000 in August and more than 20,000 each month the rest of the year. |
| August 3, 1998 | JNAP Second shift launch |
| August 17, 1998 | JNAP Third shift launch |
| August 24, 1998 | Shipments to dealers of the new Grand Cherokee began this week |
| September 4, 1998 | The all-new 1999 Grand Cherokee officially goes on sale in the USA. |
| November 17, 1998 | Chrysler Corporation merges with Daimler-Benz to create DaimlerChrysler, the largest automotive union in the history of automobile manufacturing. |
| December 9, 1998 | The all-new Grand Cherokee is unveiled in Europe for first time (Bologna Motor Show, Italy) |
| December 29, 1998 | DaimlerChrysler unveils the Jeep Commander concept vehicle during the sport utility's world debut for media at the LA Auto Show. |
| 1999 |
| Jan/Feb 1999 | Production of the all-new Grand Cherokee begins for international markets at assembly plants in Austria & South America. The first RHD (right-hand drive) WJ's are built. |
| March 1999 | The all-new Grand Cherokee goes on sale in international markets. |
| June 1999 | 1999 WJ production ends |
| July 1999 | 2000 WJ production begins |
| October 28, 1999 | JNAP holds a celebration as Jeep Grand Cherokee No. 2,000,000 and No. 2,000,001 roll off the assembly lines. |
| 2000 |
| January 2, 2000 | Jefferson North Assembly Plant Y2K validation. During a 4-hour special Sunday trial run, 181 Grand Cherokees are built with no glitches encountered. Jefferson North Plant manager Fred Martino-DiCicco and UAW Local President Gerald Wooten drove one of the first volume production vehicles off the assembly line to a gathering of employees and media.
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| June 2000 | 2000 WJ production ends |
| July 2000 | 2001 WJ production begins |
| October 23, 2000 | Commander 2 concept Jeep unveiled |
| 2001 |
| February 5, 2001 | Special 60th Anniversary Edition models of the Grand Cherokee, Wrangler and Cherokee are released for a limited time period. Grand Cherokee sales for this edition totaled 3,822. |
| March 27, 2001 | 2002 Grand Cherokee Special Edition introduced at the New York Auto Show. |
| June 18, 2001 | HO engine production begins |
| July 6, 2001 | 2001 WJ production ends |
| July 16, 2001 | 2002 WJ production begins |
| September 2001 | 2002 model year sales launch. New upscale Overland model is added to the line-up. Several new major options are introduced, including side airbags, 4.7L High Output engine, adjustable pedals, Electroluminescent gauges, Rain-Sense wipers and a Tire Pressure Monitor System. |
| September 28, 2001 | 2002 Grand Cherokee Laredo Sport announced by Jeep |
| October 02, 2001 | Chrysler group Jeep exhibit opens at Walter P. Chrysler Museum |
| November 15, 2001 | 2002 Grand Cherokee Laredo Sport starts to arrive in showrooms |
| 2002 |
| June 3, 2002 | 2003 Grand Cherokee order banks open |
June 11, 2002 | A new Jeep concept vehicle was unveiled at the DaimlerChrysler Innovation Symposium in Stuttgart, Germany. The Grand Cherokee Concierge was designed for testing safety features such as Active Night Vision, a new advanced SmarTire monitor system and other technologies. |
| July 3, 2002 | 2002 WJ production ends |
| July 9, 2002 | Starting this day, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge vehicles are covered by a seven-year or 70,000-mile powertrain warranty on all new Chrysler Group vehicles. This industry-leading warranty is fully transferable to subsequent owner and represents Chrysler Group's long term multi-brand campaign to underscore quality gains. |
| July 22, 2002 | 2003 WJ production begins |
| August 2002 | The one-millionth WJ is sold |
| October 15, 2002 | Ordering closes for the 2003 model year. |
| October 30, 2002 | 2004 Grand Cherokee order banks open |
| December 23, 2002 | 2003 WJ production ends, shortest WJ model year. |
| 2003 |
| January 2, 2003 | Production begins for model year 2004 Grand
Cherokees. First WJ refreshening. |
| January 5, 2003 | 2004 WJ models introduced at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.
New 2004 "Freedom" Edition introduced. |
| February 2003 | 2004 Laredo and Limited models begin to arrive in showrooms. Production of 2004 Overland model begins.
Production of WK pilots begin, "Job #0". |
| March 10, 2003 | Production of the new limited-run "Freedom Edition" model begins. |
| September 18, 2003 | "Trail Ready" advertising campaign announced.
Badges to appear on new Jeep vehicles immediately. Advertising start date
set for mid-October. |
| October 6, 2003 | Production start-up for the new "Columbia Edition"
Grand Cherokee. |
| November 17, 2003 | 2005 WK unveiled for the first time (to dealers and selected Press members), Cobo Hall, Detroit. |
| December 22, 2003 | Production ends for the "Columbia Edition". |
| 2004 |
| February 2004 | Production startup for 5.7L Hemi engines with new Cylinder Deactivation feature. |
| March 2004 | Ordering closes for the Grand Cherokee 2004 model year. |
| April 7, 2004 | 2005 Grand Cherokee world premiere for the press, New York Auto Show. |
| April 9, 2004 | 2005 Grand Cherokee world premiere for the public, New York Auto Show. |
| May, 2004 | Grand Cherokee "Rocky Mountain Edition" released, the last WJ model to be manufactured. |
| May 21, 2004 | The last WJ series Grand Cherokee rolls off the assembly lines. The plant closes for approximately 2 months to retool for the all-new 2005 model. |
| July 26, 2004 | All new 2005 "WK" Grand Cherokee production start-up (Job #1). |
| August, 2004 | 2004 Grand Cherokee "WG" export model - end of production for 4.0 models |
| September 2004 | All new 2005 "WK" Grand Cherokee scheduled to start arriving in dealer showrooms (late September) |
| October, 2004 | 2004 Grand Cherokee "WG" export model - end of production for 4.7 models |
| October 21, 2004 | All new 2005 "WK" featured for "Premiere Nights", a national dealer event to formally introduce and showcase the new Grand Cherokee to the public. |
| November, 2004 | 2004 Grand Cherokee "WG" export model - end of production for 4.7 HO models |
| December, 2004 | 2004 Grand Cherokee "WG" export model - end of production for 2.7 Turbo Diesel models |
| 2005 |
| February, 2005 | First 2006 WK Grand Cherokee volume production pilot models are built at Jefferson North, including the Laredo, Limited Overland and SRT-8 models. |
| February, 2005 | First 2006 XK Commander volume production pilot models are built at Jefferson North. |
| March 2005 | 2005 Grand Cherokee "WH" export model premiere at the Geneva International Motor Show |
| March 7, 2005 | 2005 Grand Cherokee "WH" export model volume production startup for 4.7L and 5.7L models (Job #1) |
| March 18, 2005 | 2006 Grand Cherokee SRT-8 world premiere, Live with Regis and Kelly show, New York. |
| March 23, 2005 | 2006 Jeep Commander world premiere, New York International Auto Show |
| March 23, 2005 | 2006 Grand Cherokee SRT-8 introduction, New York International Auto Show |
| May 2, 2005 | 2005 Grand Cherokee "WH" export model volume production startup for 3.0 V6 CRD models (Job #1) |
| July 5, 2005 | 2006 WK Grand Cherokee production startup |
| July 8, 2005 | 2005 WK Grand Cherokee final day of production (Buildout) |
| July 18, 2005 | 2006 "XK" Commander production launch |
| September 2005 | Sales introduction for the 2006 WK and XK models |
| September 12, 2005 | World premiere of the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot concept models at the Frankfurt International Motor Show (IAA) |
| November 5, 2005 | Production launch for the 2006 Grand Cherokee SRT-8 models |
| December 23, 2005 | 2005 Grand Cherokee "WH" export model production end (Buildout) |
| December, 2005 | First Grand Cherokee SRT-8 models begin arriving to dealers |
| 2006 |
| January 9, 2006 | Start of production for 2006 WH Grand Cherokee export models |
| January 16, 2006 | Start of production for 2006 XH Commander export models |
| April, 2006 | On-sale date for the european export models of the Jeep Commander |
| April 12, 2006 | World premiere of production versions of the Jeep Compass and Patriot at the NY Auto Show |
| May 30, 2006 | Start of production for the 2007 Jeep Compass |
| June 30, 2006 | End of production for 2006 WK and XK models |
| July, 2006 | On-sale date for the european export models of the Grand Cherokee SRT-8 |
| July 17, 2006 | Start of production for 2007 WK and XK models |
| October, 2006 | Start of production for the 2007 Jeep Patriot |
| October 13, 2006 | End of production for 2006 WH Grand Cherokee and WK Commander export models |
| 2007 |
| July 13, 2007 | End of production for 2007 WK Grand Cherokee and XK Commander models |
| July, 2007 | Start of production for 2008 WK Grand Cherokee and XK Commander models |
