The Jeep Cherokee is one of Jeep’s longest standing SUVs. It’s a small SUV that has been appeal of being both comfortable and grown-up but still fun. While not quite as often roadworthy as the Jeep Wrangler whereas family friendly as the Jeep Grand Cherokee, the Jeep Cherokee certainly deserves its place in the Jeep lineup. Still, that place has been somewhat threatened lately, as sales for the 2022 Jeep Cherokee are down – way down.

Jeep Cherokee sales are way down

Jeep Cherokee sales are down considerably from usual. In fact, Jeep has only been selling about 3,225 units every month according to Good Car Bad Car. During the first quarter of 2022, Jeep averaged 3,359 SUVs per month. Just how much worse than 2021 is that? It’s roughly one quarter of the previous years sales. In the first quarter of 2021, Jeep averaged 12,640 Cherokees per month.

So what’s going on? There are several factors at play here, though it is too soon to point to exactly which one is causing the Jeep Cherokee sales to slump as they are. The ongoing pandemic, chip crisis, and the Jeep Cherokee’s own design may be contributing to its lackluster performance in 2022 so far.

The pandemic has caused car sales to slow down

There is not an automaker who is immune to the challenges that the pandemic has produced. All car companies are feeling the squeeze from various aspects of the continuing situation. There is a major parts shortage which is slowing production. There is also a microchip shortage which is causing car makers to either forgo features or delay vehicles production.

Because of this, most car manufacturers are feeling the squeeze. In fact, Jeep has been slowing things down in that Belvedere, Illinois factory. This includes laying off workers and cutting shifts in order to keep things running as smoothly as possible.

The Jeep Cherokee’s design has not changed in years

The current generation of the Jeep Cherokee has been around since 2014. During those last eight years, very little about the Cherokee has changed. In some ways that’s good; sales numbers for recent years demonstrate that the Cherokee has remained strong. Yet the first quarter of 2022 certainly shows something different, and it’s possible that car shoppers are less interested in the stale Cherokee than they were previously.

There is some hope however. Jeep does plan on updating the Cherokee, although there is no official timeline yet. Still, it will likely come in the next couple of years, and it’s possible that it will have a hybrid or electric powertrain as well. That’s in line with Jeep’s other electrification plans, including a recently released hybrid Jeep Wrangler as well as a hybrid Jeep Grand Cherokee. Most auto manufacturers are trending toward an electric future, so it makes sense that Jeep would do the same.

All in all, the Jeep Cherokee has proven itself to be a small and favorite SUV. It’s likely that even if sales are low for a while that it will either rebound or see a resurgence once the next generation is released. Until then, Jeep has plenty of other SUVs carrying the weight of the brand.