Earlier, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles had showcased new models of Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Compass and Jeep Renegade that got their juice from hybrid powertrain
Earlier this year, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles confirmed in an interview to a media publication that they have been working on battery-powered vehicles for many markets across the globe. While there’s no official word at the momentum, there are good chances of these upcoming models making it to our roads in a not-so-distant future. Currently, FCA is the smallest carmaker in India with a market share of just 0.3%.
The Fiat brand had shut shop in India by the end of 2019 owing to very poor sales making it infeasible for the carmaker to invest into updating the powertrains to achieve BSVI compliance. Also, even the stricter safety norms would have required the company to update the vehicles to achieve compliance.
Hence, FCA India decided to give up on the Fiat brand, which sold the Punto, Urban Cross and Linea, and focus entirely on the Jeep brand. With the company’s efforts to consolidate the position of Jeep in our country, it could actually decide to bring in the EV in order to have a first mover’s advantage in the fast-growing local car market.
Speaking on the company’s plans of launching an EV, Partha Datta, President and Managing Director, FCA India, said, “FCA has electric at the global level. We are watching the Indian market. Today we are basically meeting consumer demand. When the consumer dictates that he wants us to bring them here then we have the technology. They are being developed as we speak. The current pipeline of products we have for India includes EVs.”
At the moment, Jeep India sells a total of 5 SUVs in the local car market. These include
Compass, Compass Trailhawk, Wrangler, Grand Cherokee, and Grand Cherokee SRT. In order to grab a bigger chunk of sales pie in India, the company is even evaluating bringing other models to our shores.
It may be noted here that the company has already forayed into the plug-in hybrid SUV segment with part-electric versions of the Compass, Wrangler and Renegade. However, a full electric vehicle could be a totally different ballgame altogether.