William Maley
Staff Writer - CheersandGears.com
October 23, 2012
Back in 1983, American Motors signed an agreement with Beijing Auto Works to build the Jeep Cherokee XJ. Two years after the agreement, Jeep Cherokees would roll off the line in Beijing. The agreement would solider on when Chrysler brought American Motors in the late eighties. Chrysler would end the agreement in 2009. But now, Jeep vehicles could be rolling off the line again in China.
According to Bloomberg, Fiat, Chrysler's parent company, is in talks with their Chinese partner, Guangzhou Automobile Group, to build Jeeps locally. This could include building Jeep's full lineup.
“The volume opportunity for us is very significant. We’re reviewing the opportunities within existing capacity” as well as “should we be localizing the entire Jeep portfolio or some of the Jeep portfolio,” said Mike Manley, COO of Fiat and Chrysler in Asia and Jeep's president.
Manley was quick to say if this was to go ahead, building vehicles in China would only augment production in the U.S., not kill it.
Why is Fiat consider building Jeep vehicles overseas? Sales have been rapidly growing overseas, with 117,189 vehicles sold so far this year.
Source: Bloomberg
William Maley is a staff writer for Cheers & Gears. He can be reached at [email protected] or you can follow him on twitter at @realmudmonster.
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