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Jeep, one of the world’s most popular SUV brands, will have three product actions this year, including the launch of an all-new model and a significantly upgraded version of its flagship product, both of which will be made locally by Stellantis, the company formed from the merger of PSA Group and Fiat Chrysler.
Jeep Meridian, the seven-seat version of the Jeep’s best-selling model in India, the five-seater Compass, will go on sale in May or June. This will also be the first-ever seven-seat model from Jeep in India since its debut in 2016. The Meridian, which goes into production in May with 80 per cent of its parts sourced from India, will be offered in three powertrains and two trims powered with diesel engine only.
The Meridian will compete against the Tata Safari, Mahindra XUV700, Hyundai Alcazar and MG Hector Plus. While price details of the Meridian will be disclosed closer to its launch, the model is expected to be positioned at a premium to its competition.
The second attraction from Jeep will be the all-new Grand Cherokee, which is also Jeep’s flagship product in India. The Grand Cherokee will boast all-new architecture, a redone exterior design and a restyled interior. The vehicle will come equipped with a 2.0-litre turbo-petrol powertrain, paired with 8-speed automatic transmission.
The Grand Cherokee will get four driving modes – Auto, Sport, Mud/Sand, and Snow. The interiors will feature a co-passenger interactive screen, head-up display, a power liftgate, ventilated seats and a panoramic sunroof.
India will be the only market in the world outside North America to locally assemble the Grand Cherokee. The model will debut in India by the end of the year.
The final product of the line-up from Jeep will be the Compass Trailhawk. However, this will be the first of the three to go on sale. The Trailhawk, a derivative of the Compass, will go on sale in the first week of March.
The model year 2022 Trailhawk will feature a new 10.1-inch Uconnect 5 centre stack display and a new 10.25-inch frameless full-colour thin-film transistor digital cluster available for the first time on Compass.
No sub 4-meter Jeep
Despite the enthusiasm for compact SUVs that measure less than 4 meters in India, Stellantis has no plans to bring a sub-4-meter Jeep in India.
However, before the formation of Stellantis, Fiat Chrysler had concrete plans to launch a mini Jeep in India to take on some of the successful models in that segment, such as the Tata Nexon, Hyundai Venue, Maruti Suzuki Brezza and the Kia Sonet. Jeep believes that the brand enjoys a premium positioning in India, and therefore it would refrain from bringing down the entry price point to benefit from sales volumes.
Speaking to BusinessLine, Christian Meunier, CEO, Brand Jeep, said, “The sub 4-meter product for India, that is a true Jeep, that is cost-competitive and can make money is my dream and we are still studying it. It’s not like it’s never going to happen but we need to do it the right way. We are not going to take a hatchback and make it look like a Jeep. We have a lot of potential to be a strong player in India and we are building some momentum with the Meridian.”
While Jeep is pushing for electrification globally, it currently has no immediate plans to launch them in India. The brand believes that an electrified powertrain will make the Jeep even more off-roading than today.
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