Fiat Chrysler is planning to add more vehicles in Jeep’s Indian lineup, to attract more customers and boost sales
Jeep entered the Indian market back in 2017 with the Compass SUV, and no new product has been launched by the company here since. The lack of diversity in its lineup has made customers lose interest in the brand, and Jeep India’s sales have been on a downward spiral these days. To turn things around, the American UV maker will now be investing heavily in its Indian wing.
Jeep’s parent company FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) has declared that it will invest a sum of $250 million to expand its presence in India, with at least four new SUVs arriving here in the next two years. These will include a new three-row SUV, Jeep Grand Cherokee, a new sub-4-metre SUV, and the updated Jeep Compass. The brand has also confirmed that it will locally assemble the Wrangler in India, in order to price it more competitively.
The Jeep Compass facelift will officially debut in India on 7th January 2021. The updated model will feature a few exterior styling changes, like a different front grille, sleeker headlamps, different alloy wheels, and new bumpers front and rear. The interior will show major changes, like a larger (10+ inch) touchscreen infotainment system with all the latest connectivity options, and an updated dashboard design.
The facelifted Jeep Compass will continue to offer the rugged character and off-road capabilities of the outgoing model, which made the SUV popular in the first place. The powertrain choices will remain the same as before – 1.4-litre turbo-petrol (163 HP) and 2.0-litre turbo-diesel (173 HP).
Apart from that, a new 6/7-seater SUV is in the making. This new model will be based on the Compass, and is expected to sport the same engine options as well. That said, Jeep would give the vehicle a somewhat district styling, to ensure that it has a unique character and doesn’t just feel like a stretched-out Compass.
The Wrangler is currently available as a CBU import, and is thus quite expensive. A shift to CKD will help the company lower its price, and make the Wrangler more accessible to Indian buyers. Jeep India also has plans to launch the Grand Cherokee as a CKD model. Jeep will also enter the extremely popular sub-4-metre SUV market in India, and is already developing a Kia Sonet/Maruti Brezza rival.