The brand name Jeep certainly rings some bells in the ears of enthusiasts who cherish being on the adventure side of life. The American SUV-makers were scheduled to come to India in 2013, however, due to certain reasons, Fiat Chrysler have postponed their plans till next year.
According to their latest product plan showcased to their stakeholders, the Renegade was not listed to come to India at all. However, in this new report, Autocar India says that according to Fiat’s initial plans, Renegade was not considered for India but some customer research revealed that there could be a strong demand for the smallest Jeep in India and hence Fiat Chrysler will launch it here.
But here comes the better news! According to Autocar’s claim, Jeep is trying for a very competitive price tag of Rs 10 Lakh for the entry level variant with the top of the line trim costing somewhere around 16 Lakhs. Renegade is expected to get the 1.5L Multijet diesel engine (a downsized version of the 1.6L MJD) which is expected to produce power in the region of 105 to 120bhp.
Apart from Renegade, Jeep will also bring their C-SUV, which we believe is the new Cherokee (but according to Autocar it isn’t revealed yet), to India. It will reportedly be slotted between the 13-20 Lakh price bracket and will be powered by two engines. The lesser variants with 2 wheel Drive (2WD) will get the 1.5L Multijet diesel engine whereas the higher 4 Wheel Drive (4WD) variants will be powered by a 168bhp 2.0L Multijet motor.
Well, obviously the onslaught will be taken care by the flagship Grand Cherokee and Wrangler but Jeep will be putting special emphasis on these two smaller SUVs which will be localized and India may also become the global manufacturing hub for all Right-Hand Drive markets for these SUVs.
This new report definitely puts Jeep back in the reckoning after Fiat’s lacklusterous performance despite announcing ‘almost a war’ in December 2012! This report promises a lot in terms of action, let us wait and see how much of it actually percolates down to the customers.
You can read Fiat & Jeep’s latest upcoming product plan here.
