Chrysler's 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee hasn't gone on sale yet, but CEO Sergio Marchionne said the Jefferson North assembly plant that builds the iconic SUV will add 1,080 jobs for a second shift starting in mid-July.

“Nearly all” those jobs, he said, will be filled by new hires earning a lower wage of about $14 an hour.
Almost one year after a government-funded bankruptcy restructuring that saved the Auburn Hills automaker, Chrysler turned Friday's Grand Cherokee launch into a revival meeting for the 1,700 workers at the plant.
“The best workforce in the world is right here in the Motor City,” said Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who was in attendance.
But Chrysler and its new SUV face challenges. Chrysler's sales are up 1.9% for the year -- below the industry's gain of 16.7% -- and Grand Cherokee sales have been in decline since they peaked over 300,000 annual sales in 1999.
The all-new Grand Cherokee, however, offers more fuel economy than the SUVs of the past.
With a more aerodynamic design and a new base V6 engine made downriver in Trenton, the Grand Cherokee will offer 23 m.p.g. on the highway, up from 21, on a current 4x2 model.
Inside, the Grand Cherokee also looks more like a luxury vehicle. After bankruptcy, there's reason to celebrate Chrysler showed tangible evidence Friday of recovery -- a 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee that comes to market with a vastly improved interior and new V6 engine that will get a few extra miles per gallon than its predecessor.
The recent downward trend in gas prices may give Jeep's steak-and-potatoes SUV just the boost it needs for a fast start out of the gate.
The automaker's executives and 1,700 workers at the Jefferson North assembly plant seemed relieved to show outsiders a ready-for-sale vehicle and an upgraded plant in which the company invested nearly $700 million.
(Source: Detroit Free Press)