If there's one single model that defines the Jeep brand, it would have to be the Jeep Grand Cherokee, and the most recent iteration of the vehicle has been so wildly popular that in 2011 sales for Jeep vehicles rose a whopping 44%.  When that happens, it's inevitable that we start looking at producing some special editions of Grand Cherokee, and that's exactly what our engineers have done with a brand new, all-black-and-chrome group of vehicles flying under the banner of "Altitude."

The name came as a result of a "Name My Ride" contest, and the really amazing thing is that there were over 100,000 entries in the competition.  You've got to admit that "Altitude" is a pretty great moniker for the vehicles, and whoever ended up picking the name will get a free SUV for their troubles.  Seems like a fair trade, doesn't it?

It's not just the Grand Cherokee that's getting the murdered out treatment, though; we'll also be getting similarly stealthy versions of the Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot in May, and we're hoping that all three special edition vehicles help keep our sales numbers going in a positive direction.

A good special edition automobile never hurt anybody, and in fact true fans of the Jeep Grand Cherokee in San Antonio are probably really getting anxious for the next couple of months to roll by so the Altitude Jeeps can go ahead and get here already.  Honestly, that's sort of how we feel, and we're just the ones selling them.  New Jeep Grand Cherokees have been doing that to us for years, though.