he
Jeep Cherokee (XJ) was a
monocoque (unibody)
compact SUV. It shared the name of the original full-size
SJ model, but having no true pickup truck heritage, it actually set the stage for the modern
SUV. Its innovative appearance and sales popularity spawned important imitators as other automakers began to notice that this model began replacing regular cars.
[1] It was built in
Toledo, Ohio in the
United States and in
Beijing,
China. The XJ
platform provided the mechanical basis for the
MJ-series
Jeep Comanche pick-up. The XJ was selected by Robert Cumerford as one of the 20 greatest cars of all time, calling it "possibly the best SUV shape of all time, it is the paradigmatic model to which other designers have since aspired."
[2]