Chrysler And Jeep® Celebrate 10 Years In The UK
Published: 5th January 2003
During the first decade of business for Chrysler and Jeep in this country, 90 different models have been introduced to the market with accumulated sales over those 10 years reaching more than 126,900.
Sales of right hand drive versions of the Jeep Cherokee started for the first time on 15 January, 1993, shortly after the legendary 4x4 had been revealed to the public at the British International Motor Show where it proved to be an instant hit with show-goers.
The icon of the Jeep range, the Wrangler, soon joined the Cherokee in the UK and established itself as a cult vehicle. Then, the awesome V10-engined Chrysler Viper R/T10 high performance sports car was presented to an astonished British motoring public and a phenomenal success story began from there.
After outperforming all sales predictions in the first year – which were 4,000 against a prediction of 2,000 – the Chrysler and Jeep franchise has seen almost consistent sales growth over its first decade in this country. Last year another notable sales total of more than 18,200 cars was recorded.
In 1995, the UK line-up of right hand drive Jeep vehicles was completed when the range-topping Jeep Grand Cherokee, produced in Graz, Austria, was introduced. The company’s pioneering work in converting the Jeep Wrangler from left to right hand drive at its UK headquarters, and then experimental work on converting a Jeep Grand Cherokee to right hand drive, were said to be instrumental in persuading Chrysler Corporation of the viability for other right hand drive applications for its vehicles in export markets all over the world.
