Stellantis discontinue Jeep Grand Cherokee in Australia

Australia has lost access to one of its favourite cars after the global profit collapse of the brand’s parent company.

The hits keep coming for Jeep parent company Stellantis after the floundering global automaker moved to discontinue one of its most iconic family SUVs in Australia.

Aussies will no longer have access to the Grand Cherokee after existing stock in the country runs out.

Confirmation of the decision from Stellantis comes days after company recorded a stunning drop in net profit in 2024 to the tune of AUD $9.14bn.

Stellantis is a huge company that includes American brands Jeep, Ram and Chrysler, France’s Citroen and Peugeot and Italy’s Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo and Maserati, and China’s electric Leapmotor.

The 12-month collapse at Stellantis in 2024 represented a huge 70 per cent drop in profit compared to 2023.

MORE: $9.1bn slide: Car giant hits the wall

Jeep will no longer supply the Grand Cherokee in Australia.

The Grand Cherokee has suffered a similar fate in Australia.

Once the favoured large SUV for Aussies, just 645 Grand Cherokee sales were made Down Under in 2024 – a drop of 48.3 per cent on 2023’s 1247 sales.

It’s a sharp slide for the vehicle that was named Australia’s best-selling large SUV in 2014 after it beat out even the Toyota Prado for honours.

A Stellantis spokesman said the Grand Cherokee just wasn’t the right fit for the Australian market anymore.

“As we look to right-size the Jeep product portfolio to match local market dynamics and customer preferences, we’ve made the difficult decision to pause availability of the current model Jeep Grand Cherokee in Australia,” a Stellantis spokesman told media outlets.

MORE: Jeep dealers lash out over falling sales

The Grand Cherokee can be grabbed at a discount before it is no longer available in Australia.

“While the Jeep Grand Cherokee will continue to be sold in many countries around the world, this decision allows us to focus our efforts on placing the right products in the right segments that can have the greatest relevance for our customers.

“The Jeep brand remains fully committed to the Australian market and Stellantis continues to invest heavily in its global product portfolio.”

The Grand Cherokee was Jeep’s second best-selling car in Australia in 2024 despite falling sales of the model, finishing behind the Jeep Wrangler’s 724 sales.

Jeep’s total sales in Australia dived 48.7 per cent in 2024, plummeting to just 2377 sales across the brand from 4643 in 2023.

Stellantis was hit with a mind-numbing 70 per cent drop in profit. Picture: AFP

While the Grand Cherokee’s new generation launched in 2023 it failed to ignite interest in customers off the back of a massive $20,000 price hike.

Not helping the SUV’s popularity was it’s history of reliability issues and Jeep’s poor performance in addressing consumer concerns.

Aussies not yet ready to say goodbye to the Grand Cherokee can have one last fling with the model – remaining stock has been given a near-$13,000 discount down to $60,000, drive-away.

While the loss of the Grand Cherokee in Australia is disappointing, it will be just a drop in the bucket for Stellantis following its horror 2024.

Chief executive Carlos Tavares stepped down in December after a battle with Jeep dealers in America who were not on board with the company’s drive for electrification.

Former Stellantis chief executive Carlos Tavares. Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO / AFP

MORE: Stellantis chief executive quits

A letter published by Jeep’s dealer council in the US accused Tavares of overseeing the “rapid degradation of our iconic American brands” as the company pushed up prices and deleted popular models including V8-powered versions of the Grand Cherokee.

Stellantis brands Citroen, Chrysler, DS, Dodge and Opel have stopped selling cars in Australia.

Fearing a similar fate, Australian Jeep dealers have reportedly contracted legal representation to review the potential for a lawsuit against Stellantis.

Having driven up prices following booming growth a decade ago, Jeep has slashed the cost of several models by around $20,000 to re-coup sales.

The company has launched a compact EV locally in the Jeep Avenger and is set to follow that with an electric mid-sized SUV in the Jeep Wagoneer S.

Jeep dealers have called for the return of “Hemi” V8-powered models discontinued by Tavares, who pushed for a greener line-up in showrooms.

The company has also come under fire for pop-up ads in American models with satellite radio subscriptions, with owners complaining about commercial messages shown on cars’ central touchscreens.

Originally published as Stellantis discontinue Jeep Grand Cherokee in Australia