CATS Motors, the Philippine general distributor of Mercedes-Benz, Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep, has recently unveiled Jeep's latest model, the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The new Jeep Cherokee, with its redesigned body, new engine and technology, will replace the Jeep Grand Commander here in the Philippines.

According to Robert Shaw, vice president for sales and planning of CATS Motors, though the Jeep caters to a niche market of off-road enthusiasts, the introduction of the 2011 Grand Cherokee in the local market will allow Jeep to go against its competitors in the luxury SUV market.

"The Jeep Grand Cherokee will be an extremely capable alternative for the European SUVs while giving the buyer the iconic Jeep ride that made the brand legendary in off-road capability," Shaw said. He explained that the SUV market is the biggest market segment in the automotive landscape in the Philippines.

However, luxury SUVs remain an extremely competitive niche due to its prohibitive price and narrow market of off-road enthusiasts. Despite this, CATS motors expects the Jeep brand to catch up in sales figures with its other brands year 2012 due to the blurring of the lines of distinction between different car segments.

The company sold over 300 Jeep models in 2010, a 30 percent increase from 2009 sales figures. CATS Motors expect its customers to be a mix of both repeat and new costumers which is in line with its marketing plan of presenting the Jeep Grand Cherokee as a viable alternative for luxury SUV buyers.

The luxury sport-utility vehicle (SUV) comes in two variants: the Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6L Limited and the Jeep Grand Cherokee 5.7L Overland, priced at P3.680 million and 4.180 million (US$ 994,594 - US$ 95,586), respectively.

The new 3.6L engine found in the Limited pumps out 286hp @ 6350 rpm with a maximum torque of 347 Nm @ 4300 rpm while the 5.7L V8 engine found in the Overland pumps out a 352hp @ 5200 RPM and a whopping 520 Nm of torque @ 4200 RPM.

Despite the large and powerful engine powering the Grand Cherokee, with the 3.6L V6 increasing its output by 38 percent from the previous model, it still offers an improved fuel economy of 23 mpg, an increase over the previous model's 20 mpg.

The launch of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee marks the aggressive re-entry of its mother company, the Chrysler Group of Companies (Chrysler), back into the automotive industry. Chrysler emerged from a Chapter 11 reorganization back in 2009 and announced its partnership with Italian car maker, Fiat.

It's partnership with Fiat can be seen with the European-inspired styling, with low overhangs and sweeping aerodynamic curves. "Our all-new Jeep Grand Cherokee is much more refined, focused and sportier than the model it replaces," said Ralph Gilles, senior vice president for product design, Chrysler Group.

The redesigned exterior has a lower drag coefficient of 0.37, from the previous model's 0.404. Despite the sportier design, the Jeep Grand Cherokee remains true to its original purpose as an off-road vehicle.

Mike Manley, Jeep brand president and chief executive officer, described the 2011 Grand Cherokee as the benchmark premium SUV. "Unique innovations such as our new Quadra-Lift air suspension system and the Selec-Terrain traction control systems separate Jeep from the crowd and take the new Grand Cherokee to the next level of 4x4 capability.

The new generation of the iconic Jeep Grand Cherokee delivers the perfect blend of on-road refinement, superb craftsmanship, world-class design, improved fuel economy, innovative features and legendary, real-world capability'" Manley said.

The Quadra-Lift air suspension system is one of the highlights of the new Grand Cherokee. The new suspension system allows for on-the-fly ride height adjustment between five height settings for optimum ride performance.

The normal ride height of 8.1 inches of ground clearance offers improved fuel economy and improved aerodynamics during on-road driving. Switching to Off-road 1 adds an additional 1.3 inches for clearing obstacles while Off-road 2 adds 2.6 inches to the normal ride height for a total ground clearance of 10.7 inches.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee also has a Park Mode which lowers the vehicle 1.5 inches from the normal ride height for easy ingress and egress as well as roof rack loading. Areo mode is controlled by the vehicle speed and adjusts the vehicle's ride height for optimum performance and fuel economy at cruising speeds.

Another highlight of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee is the new Selec-Terrain control dial. The control dial allows the driver to choose from five driving conditions in order to achieve the best driving experience on all terrains. In Sand/Mud setting, traction control and Quadra-Lift operate with sensitive response to wheel spin while torque is tuned for optimal performance.

Sport setting provides and enhanced on-road "fun-to-drive" capability. In Snow mode, vehicle traction adjusts for maximum performance over snow-covered roads while in Rock mode, the Quadra-lift suspension raises the Grand Cherokee to its maximum ride height while the transfer case, differentials and throttles coordinate to provide low-speed control.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee couples its superior off-road capability with a solid set of security and safety features. This makes the Grand Cherokee 2011 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) Top Safety Pick.

The standard safety features include electronic stability control (ESC), electronic roll mitigation (ERM), four-wheel anti-lock brake system (ABS) with rough-road detection, four-wheel brake traction control system, Keyless Enter-N-Go, remote keyless entry, express up/down windows for driver and front-seat passenger, seat-belt pretensioners, Trailer-sway Control and remote start.

Other safety features include full-length side-curtain air bags, seat-mounted side thorax air bags and active head restraints.