Cherokee Nation to Jeep: “Time to Rebrand!”

The era of rebranding is upon us… from Mr & Mrs Potato Head [now multi gendered potato head family] to Aunt Jemima to the Washington Redskins — organizations across the nation have found reason to change their brand to meet a changing consumer base.

Now the Cherokee Nation, which is a Sovereign Nation based in Oklahoma, has asked Jeep and it’s parent company Stellantis to remove the Cherokee badge from it’s iconic line of SUVs.

According to Car & Driver Magazine, Chuck Hoskin Jr, [pictured above] principal chief  of the Cherokee Nation said, in part, “I’m sure [the Cherokee branding] comes from a place that is well intended, but it does not honor us by having our name plastered on the side of a car”.

Originally introduced in 1974, the Cherokee badge has been a stalwart of the Jeep brand. The badging is also recognized for many of the innovations that Jeep added to later iconic Wrangler models. For example, the Grand Cherokee introduced in 1993 with it’s full coil suspension system was such a success that the suspension was later adapted to the still popular Jeep TJ Wrangler [introduced in 1997].

The original 1974 Jeep Cherokee

What became the most iconic styles of the Cherokee, this body was introduced in 1984

Also known as the Jeep Liberty this body style was introduced in 2001

This awkward body style was introduced in 2008.

The Grand Cherokee is the best selling Model in Jeep’s current line-up.

“Our vehicle names have been carefully chosen and nurtured over the years to honor and celebrate Native American people for their nobility, prowess and pride,” a Jeep spokesperson said in a statement. “We are, more than ever, committed to a respectful and open dialogue.”

Today Jeep’s top selling model is the Grand Cherokee.

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