Grand Cherokee ZJ Celebrates 25th Anniversary
In Grand Fashion Indeed, the Jeep Grand Cherokee Was Introduced to the Press and General Public on January 7th, 1992
The Jeep Grand Cherokee ZJ celebrates a quarter-century this year.
Chrysler had a way of doing launches in the early ’90s. And the introduction of a new platform known as the ZJ Grand Cherokee involved nothing less than driving through the glass front door of Cobo Hall, home of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
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As you can see in the video below, cameras rolled as the first Grand Cherokee left the Jefferson Ave. plant. They followed all the way to the waiting press at the NAIAS. Hollywood theatrics ensued, as the “glass” that the Grand Cherokee drove through was actually plate-glass made from sugar. A charge was also placed to ensure it “broke” at just the right time. Driving the new Grand Cherokee was none other than Bob Lutz, and sitting alongside him was Detroit’s mayor at the time, Coleman A Young.
Looking back, the Grand Cherokee can really be seen as the vehicle that saved Jeep from the edge of extinction. Ford played the first card with the Explorer in 1991, and Jeep had to answer with a “luxury” SUV of its own. A quarter-century later, we think it is fair to say that Jeep hit a home run with the Grand Cherokee.
