Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is getting aggressive about its Indian operations. The company has a new product portfolio chartered for India that will be launched in the next couple of years with one of the most awaited and delayed launches from the group being the Jeep brand. After much delay, Fiat has now confirmed that the Jeep brand will see a 2015 launch with the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs in the country.
However, while the iconic SUVs may be the first products to be launched by Jeep; the company will focus on bringing two new bread and butter models in the B-SUV and C-SUV segment categories, both of which will be localised in the country. As the Indian market prepares to double up by 2018, Jeep is counting on the new models to be the volume pullers for the brand in the country. The first model to be launched will be in the C-SUV segment and will be a completely new model that hasn’t been revealed yet.
Priced between Rs. 13-20 lakhs, the new SUV will be a larger than the Renault Duster in terms of dimensions and could see a 2016 Auto Expo unveil. Powering the new SUV will be a 1.5-litre MultiJet diesel engine (downsized version of the 1.6-litre MultiJet engine) with power figures expected between 105 – 120 BHP for the two wheel drive version. There will also be a larger 2.0-litre MultiJet motor that will produce around 168 BHP of power for the all-wheel drive version. The new SUV will be manufactured in the country with India being the global manufacturing hub for all right-hand drive markets and could see a late 2016 launch.
The other SUV that will cater to a mass market demand will be in the B-SUV segment and is none other than the Renegade that was unveiled earlier this year. After initially scrapping the Renegade for India (we reported about Jeep’s plans of not bringing in the 500X and Renegade to India earlier this month), the company has shown interest in bringing the compact SUV to the country based on customer feedback. Measuring in at 4.25 metres in length, the Renegade will compete against the Renault Duster, Nissan Terrano and the likes in the segment and will also feature the 1.5-litre Multijet motor. It is unlikely that the Jeep Renegade will be brought under the 4-metre mark for excise benefits.
Fiat India’s long term plan involves the Avventura crossover to cater to the sub 4-metre compact SUV segment and the company would not want to cannibalise sales of either of its products by pitting them against each other. The new Jeep SUVs on the other hand will be built on the same platform, with Jeep aiming at a starting price of Rs. 10 lakhs for the base variant of the Renegade, while the top end model with all the bells and whistles could cost a hefty Rs. 16 lakhs. With the ambitious plans of FCA for India, the company is finally working on improving its market share and has been expanding its sales and service network across the country.
Source – Autocar India
