According to a few industry sources which confided in a particular auto magazine called Automotive News Europe, Jeep’s upcoming B-Segment Compact SUV will be christened the Laredo. This comes in opposition to the earlier whispers about it being named as the Jeepster.
The “Jeepster” story has been brewing for quite some time now. Trying to make some inroads into the burgeoning compact SUV segment, Jeep has been working on this B-Segment Compact SUV. Unlike other soft-roaders, Jeep’s product will be a true-blue SUV and it has been said that it will have some design elements from the Willys of yore.
Jeep’s CEO Mike Manley has already confirmed that the upcoming B-SUV will be unveiled at the Geneva Auto Show in March, and will then go on sale in the Europe and the United States late summer this year. Jeep’s B-SUV will be a counterpart to Fiat’s 500X, and it will be built alongside the 500X at Fiat’s plant in Melfi, Italy.
It is expected that the new product from Jeep could use the Fiat 500L sourced 0.9-liter TwinAir Turbo with specifications of 105 hp. Other engine options include a 1.4-liter MultiAir Turbo with 160 hp, or a 1.6-liter MultiJet II turbodiesel with 105 hp. In India, however, Jeep has confirmed that their B-segment SUV will have the 114 PS, 207 Nm 1.4L turbocharged petrol engine from the Linea T-jet and the 105bhp, 290 Nm 1.6L Multijet motor that will first debut on the Linea facelift.
The B-SUV from Jeep will be a relatively pricier option as compared to the Dusters and Terranos, but as we mentioned earlier, it will not be a soft-roader. It will be equipped with a 4WD and will be more of a true-blue SUV as compared to the other ones. We expect the price to hover somewhere around INR 15-18 lakhs. According to the roadmap shared by Fiat, Jeep’s B-SUV which is now known as Laredo will go on sale in 2015.
Also Check Out: List of all Upcoming Jeep’s SUVs in India
