Grand Cherokee - Jeep's heap big brave model

The Jeep Grand Cherokee must be popular - two million have been built in the past eight years.

The two millionth model was a top-drawer V8 Limited and came off the production line in Detroit the other day.

It was bought by a Michigan businessman, who also picked up the very next model off the assembly line, an identical V8 Limited, for his business partner.

The Grand Cherokee broke new ground when it was launched in the United States in 1992.

Previous Jeep models had been largely workhorses, the legendary rough-and-tumble Wrangler more so than the standard Cherokee.

The Cherokee was a two-door with optional rear seats when it was launched in 1983.

But Jeep a few years later decided on two rear doors for added convenience and to give the Cherokee more appeal as a family vehicle.

The arrival of the Grand Cherokee took four-wheel-drive into a new off-road luxury category, something new to Americans.

Chrysler Jeep opened a new $2 billion production plant for the Grand Cherokee near the centre of Detroit. It revitalised the turbulent inner city and provide jobs.

Six years later, in 1998, Chrysler Corp and Daimler-Benz merged and invested a further $1.5 billion to upgrade the plant and launch the current model Grand Cherokee, vastly better than its predecessor.

The latest model (pictured) has won many international awards, including North American Truck of the Year in 1999.

Grand Cherokees built for right-hand-drive markets like New Zealand are assembled in Graz, Austria, from parts supplied by Detroit.