The Grand Cherokee was a spinoff of the smaller Jeep Cherokee. The Grand Cherokee's origins date back to 1983 when American Motors (AMC) engineers were designing a Cherokee successor. The 1989 "Jeep Concept 1" show car foretold the basic design. The Grand Cherokee was the first Chrysler-badged Jeep product since AMC came up with the concept; the AMC engineers/designers behind the project, later Chrysler employees (after the 1987 buyout of AMC) were eager for a late 1980s release date; however, then-CEO Lee Iacocca was pushing for redesigned Chrysler minivans, thus delaying the Grand Cherokee's release until late 1992 as an Explorer competitor.
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