Another new SUV has been revealed overseas, although this one has a whiff of 'forbidden fruit' to it...
It's the Jeep Grand Commander, and, as the mightily macho name suggests... it's big. Based on the Jeep Yuntu concept that was unveiled at last year's Shanghai Motor Show, the Grand Commander's major selling point is its size and seven-count seating arrangement.
The latter factoid hasn't been explicitly confirmed by the early promotional video footage or images, but is widely tipped to factor in the new SUV.
Designwise, the Jeep GC scales back on some of the Yuntu concept's design detailing — offering a more subtle nose arrangement including headlights that mirror the more 'conventional' lines of the newly revised 2019 Cherokee's headlights.
So what will power this big Jeep? It won't be a raucous Hemi V8, but rather a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol unit. Further details are sketchy, but it's expected to be the same engine that powers the new Cherokee.
So, will we get it? At the moment it looks like a no. It's been confirmed that there are no plans to bring it to our neighbours in Australia, while other outlets have stressed that the model appears to be a Chinese-only release. Driven have made contact with Jeep NZ, and await their reply.
Bringing it here would certainly be an interesting proposition. As it stands, Jeep doesn't offer a seven seater in its line-up. The closest thing in fact within the local FCA pool is the Dodge Journey people mover.
Mazda just recently announced their second seven-seat SUV for the Kiwi market; the CX-8. The newly launched SsangYong Rexton G4, and the upcoming LDV D90 and Haval H9 are also set to make a dent in the seven-seat game in 2018.
While much of the SUV focus has been on the entry level stuff, perhaps the seven-seat game is in for a shake up too.