The iconic SUV maker, Jeep is betting big on their range of Compact SUVs to gain dominance over this lucrative segment all over the world and what better country than the great land of India to start this onslaught. Countries like India and Brazil have received the Compact SUVs very well and the success of the Ford EcoSport, Renault Duster and Mahindra Quanto speaks for themselves.
India will be the first country to play host to the 2014 Jeep Compact SUV in B-Segment which would be the company’s entry level SUV in many more markets. The car will be launched by mid 2014 and will be made at Fiat’s facility at Pune. Jeep will use Fiat’s already tested platforms to make their foray in the Compact SUV segment to save huge initial costs of Research and Development. Jeep might just manage to make it a bit shorter than 4 meters in length to get the tax benefit on offer.
The car will retain its off-roading capabilities and the looks are expected to be classic Jeep style. Under the bonnet, the SUV will have two motors. One will be a 1.4 Liter turbo petrol motor while the other will be a 1.6 litre turbo diesel from the stable of Fiat. The car will come mate to manual transmission as off-roader don’t really believe in automatic transmissions.
And now the price aspect which is one of the key factors in determining the success of a car. The B-segment Jeep Compact SUV is expected to be priced in the range of Rs.7-8 lakhs to take on the the Duster, Quanto and soon to be launched Ford EcoSport. Jeep is not a brand, its a cult. And the Indians have always had a liking towards to the SUVs. The brand’s entry in the country is expected to give them a lot of success, provided they play the VFM card well.
The Fiat-Chrysler Group’s Pune plant will be gradually converted into a global facility to assemble and deliver cars globally from India. It is one of the most favorable locations for auto makers because of low operational costs and high quality of output and talent pool available in India.
Source: FE
