Jeep has proven to Japan that all American vehicles aren’t gas-guzzling, planet-killing monsters.

Chrysler’s Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk has slipped under Japanese green car limits – the first petrol-engined American car to do so.

The 2016 Trailhawk gets 9.7L/100km – qualifying for tax break of around 58,000 yen (NZ$780), which comes of its sticker price of $5.1m yen (NZ$66,800).

Last year Jeep sold 7510 vehicles in Japan, including 726 Cherokees.

Cherokee also managed a place in the Japan Car of the Year top ten – an absolute rarity in one of the world’s automotive superpowers.