• Detroit Free Press, Wednesday, April 8, 2009 10:30 AM

Chrysler is rolling out a new model at the New York Auto Show today that's slated to go on sale next year ... if the company survives. The 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee offers more power, better fuel economy, and more room and reflects the company's strengths and its troubles, Justin Hyde reports.

The Grand Cherokee helped spawn the boom in luxury SUVs and was once one of Chrysler's most-profitable models, Hyde points out, but sales have slumped under gas price swings and a weak economy. The new model shares underpinnings with the Mercedes-Benz ML SUV -- a remnant of the DaimlerChrysler marriage that spawned a larger Jeep lineup just as the market for SUVs went south.

The Obama administration has said Chrysler isn't viable without Fiat or some other partner, and if one isn't found by the end of April, it will let Chrysler go bankrupt.

Read the whole story at Detroit Free Press »