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The full of activity Chrysler Group will be unveiling a pair of premium editions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Liberty [Cherokee in Europe] at the Los Angeles Auto Show. Both the Grand Cherokee Overland Summit and Liberty Jet models benefit from added standard content as well as bespoke styling features, and are scheduled to arrive in dealerships next month.

Starting with the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee Overland Summit, the flagship edition is available in a new and unique Rugged Brown paint scheme, as well as Mineral Gray, White Gold and Black. It sports a fully chromed grille and fog lamp bezels while riding on 20-inch bright, polished aluminum wheels.

Inside, Jeep's designers adorned the cabin with unique Black Olive burl real wood trim which is found on the dashboard, door panels and the leather-wrapped, heated steering wheel. The Overland Summit also boasts a Black lower and New Saddle upper interior trim color, along with saddle-color Nappa heated and ventilated leather seats with perforated inserts, accent piping and unique stitching. The Berber floor mats with Black and Chestnut accent binding complete the look.

Standard features on the Grand Cherokee Overland Summit include the Advanced Warning System and Adaptive Cruise Control group, which consists of Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collision Warning, Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross-path detection systems.

Pricing for the Grand Cherokee Overland Summit edition starts at $42,495 (plus $780 destination) for 4x2 models, and $45,995 (plus $780 destination) for the 4x4 versions.

Moving on the 2011 Jeep Liberty Jet, buyers can choose from four exterior colors - Bright Silver, Dark Charcoal, Brilliant Black and Blackberry. Exterior upgrades include 20-inch polished aluminum wheels fitted with P245/50R20 all-season tires; chrome lower fascia opening, body side moldings, license plate brow, roof rails and mirror caps; blacked-out headlamps; and unique 'Jet' badging.

Inside, the Jet edition of the Liberty gains an array of standard features such as a 9-speaker premium audio system; a security system with supplemental side-curtain air bags and Park Sense rear park assist; available Dark Slate Gray leather seating with accent stitching; heated front seats, available with six-way power function for the driver and two-way for the passenger; leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls; and one-touch up/down power windows.

The Liberty Jet is offered as an optional package with an MSRP of $1,495 on the Liberty Sport models and $995 on Liberty Limited versions.

Launched in June, the new Jeep Grand Cherokee has enjoyed a massive success, as sales last month were up 291% compared to October 2009. So it comes to no surprise that Sergio Marchionne, CEO of Fiat and Chrysler, is considering the use of the Grand Cherokee's architecture on a variety of new models including Fiat, Maserati and Alfa Romeo SUVs, and possibly for a future Chrysler variant.

"The [Grand Cherokee] architecture has legs. It's important for us to tap all of the hard work that has gone on inside Chrysler on the new Grand Cherokee," said Marchionne during a conference call on the Chrysler Group's Q3 financial results. "It has a level of solidity and resilience that we have underestimated."

Marchionne added that the Grand Cherokee's platform, which was developed with Chrysler's former partner Mercedes-Benz, is capable of handling more powerful engines.

If a decision were to be made, all versions of these SUVs could enter the market as early as 2012 with production to most likely take place at the Jefferson North plant, which already runs two shifts, but can easily accommodate a third should the need arise.

The Detroit plant is an obvious choice as it has shown critical progress in the quality of assembly. "I'm delighted with the performance of the Jefferson plant here in Michigan" Mr. Marchionne added.

The same plant is also used for the trial production of the 2011 Dodge Durango, which is also based on the new Grand Cherokee and is scheduled to go on sale next month.

By Csaba Daradics