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|transmission = |width = |length = |height = |weight = (approx.) |wheelbase = |aka = |related = }} The Jeep Cherokee (XJ) is a compact SUV that was manufactured and marketed by Jeep from 1984 to 2001. Sharing the name of the original full-size SJ model, but without a traditional body-on-frame chassis, the XJ instead featured a light-weight unibody design,〔(【引用サイトリンク】url= http://www.allpar.com/trucks/jeep/cherokee.html )〕 precursor to the modern sport utility vehicle (SUV). The XJ spawned competitors as other automakers began to notice that this Jeep design began replacing regular cars. It also began to supplant the role of the station wagon and "transformed from truck to limousine in the eyes of countless suburban owners."〔 The XJ is a "significant link in the evolution of the 4x4." Built in Toledo, Ohio, in Beijing, China, in Ferreyra, Argentina, in Cairo, Egypt, and in Valencia, Venezuela, the XJ provided the mechanical basis for the MJ-series Jeep Comanche pickup truck. Noted automotive journalist Robert Cumberford, writing for ''Automobile'', called the Jeep XJ one of the 20 greatest cars of all time — for its design, and "possibly the best SUV shape of all time, it is the paradigmatic model to which other designers have since aspired". The XJ was also selected in 2011 as one of "10 cars that refuse to die" by ''Kiplinger''. ==Background== Designs of the compact-size XJ Cherokee date back to 1978 when a team of American Motors (AMC) and Renault engineers drew several sketches. Clay models were based on the then current full-size SJ Cherokee. Early sketches of the XJ Cherokee had a European influence, and most of the styling cues were done by AMC engineers under the direction of Richard A. Teague, vice president of design. Noticing that General Motors was developing a new two-door S-10-based Blazer, AMC decided to develop an entirely new four-door model in addition to a two-door version. American Motors' vice president of engineering, Roy Lunn, designed what is known as the "Quadra-Link" suspension, that limited rollovers.〔Bradsher, p. 36.〕 Renault's François Castaing developed the drivetrain using a much smaller engine than normally found in 4WD vehicles and reduced the weight of the new model.〔Bradsher, p. 37.〕 It "is noteworthy as the first nonmilitary 4x4 with unibody construction."〔 The unconventional design enhanced XJ's durability and off-road capability that eventually won over most critics, even those models with the early underpowered GM engines.〔 The XJ is described "as the first small crossover SUV in the U.S.," with "plenty of the Jeep toughness (and a straight-six engine) built in."〔 The design and market positioning of the XJ, along with the AMC Eagle essentially "foreshadowed the car-based crossover utility-vehicle fad."〔 Although the XJ models had just been introduced, AMC quickly began development of its successor. To compete against its much larger rivals, the smallest U.S. automaker created a business process that is now known as "product lifecycle management" (PLM) to speed up its product development process. By 1985, development and engineering was based on computer-aided design (CAD) software systems while new systems stored all drawings and documents in a central database.〔 The pioneering PLM was so effective that after Chrysler purchased AMC in 1987, it expanded the system throughout its own enterprise.〔 British TV presenter and motoring expert Quentin Willson described the XJ Jeep as "a real 4x4 icon" and one of the "few truly great cars... which, despite being left behind by newer models, still offer fresh and urgent possibilities. Cars which become more relevant the older they get." 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Jeep Cherokee (XJ)」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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