Later this month at the Shanghai Auto Show Chrysler will introduce the new 2014 Jeep Cherokee to the Chinese market, where it will be known as “Zi You Guang”. Jeep reckons people will love the Cherokee down there, probably because it looks like them.

It may not be a looker, but the Cherokee comes with some pretty modern features. It gets a segment-first nine-speed automatic transmission, and not one, but two four-wheel-drive systems. Chinese customers can choose between Jeep Active Drive I with a one-speed power transfer unit (PTU) and Jeep Active Drive II with a two-speed PTU and low range.

The new car also gets a much nicer interior than the car it replaces, and just in terms of materials, but equipment as well. It comes with an available 7-inch full-color reconfigurable instrument cluster and award-winning 8.4-inch touchscreen multimedia command center. For international markets, the Jeep Cherokee will be also available with a diesel powertrain in both left- and right-hand-drive versions.

“Jeep is our global brand and, since its inception, the all-new Jeep Cherokee was conceived and developed not only for our home market of the U.S. but also for world markets,” said Mike Manley, President and CEO of Jeep Brand, Chrysler Group LLC, and Chief Operating Officer for Asia Pacific Region, Fiat S.p.A. “The new Jeep Cherokee will become a benchmark in the global mid-size SUV segment by combining the segment-first nine-speed automatic transmission, refined on-road manners and fuel efficiency with the capability that only Jeep can deliver and that our customers have learned to trust.”