[Update] Chrysler to retool Jefferson North plant for car-based Jeep Grand Cherokee
August13
Chrysler LLC’s Vice Chairman Tom LaSorda says that the automaker will spend $1.8 billion retooling its Jefferson North Assembly plant located just north of downtown Detroit on Jefferson Avenue. LaSorda says that the plant will produce a car-based 2010 Jeep Grand Cherokee that will use Chrysler’s new Phoenix powertrains.
The plant, which has produced every Jeep Grand Cherokee for the North American market, opened in 1991. LaSorda told Detroit’s WWJ-AM that the factory will complete its retooling by the end of 2009 and be fully operational in early 2010. Roughly 400 jobs will stay safe thanks to the retooling. It had been previously reported that the plant would receive a $281 million makeover; clearly, plans are much more comprehensive.
Following Ford’s Rouge facility’s lead, the new Chrysler plant will feature such environmentally friendly techniques as energy-efficient lighting and the ability to use factory waste as an energy source.
The new car-based platform and Phoenix family of engines should make the Jeep Grand Cherokee far more fuel efficient than the current model. The Phoenix six-cylinder powertrains will use variable valve timing and cylinder deactivation, though few other details have been confirmed. Chrysler is putting high hopes on its new line of powertrains.
