Chrysler Delays 2014 Jeep Cherokee One Month

Fans of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee will have to wait until the kids start summer vacation to buy one. Chrysler told The Detroit Free Press on Thursday that its midsize SUV, slated to hit dealers right about now, won’t arrive until the middle of June. But dealers should have plenty of cars by fall, said Mark Chernoby, who heads up engineering at Chrysler.

Chrysler builds the Cherokee in Toledo, Ohio; the automaker said it’s smoothing out a few issues common with new-vehicle launches.

“Right now, we are at a point where we have dozens of open issues. It is less than 100,” Chernoby told the Free Press. But those represent “the normal” for any vehicle launch, he added, particularly one with a new drivetrain. In particular, the automaker is tinkering with processes along the assembly line and calibrating the new nine-speed automatic.

Editor’s note: This article was updated on June 24 to correct the 2014 Jeep Cherokee’s production timeline. Sales of the 2014 Jeep Cherokee remain on track for September 2013.

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