FCA working on sub-4m product for India; is it Jeep Renegade?

FCA India Automobiles Private Limited, the parent company of Jeep India, had a remarkable outing in 2017. After the launch of made-in-India SUV Compass, sales of the group skyrocketed. The Compass gave much-needed reboot for FCA in India and the company seems to be not in a mood to rest on the laurels.

On the sidelines of the ongoing 2017 Los Angeles Auto Show, Jeep's chief executive officer Mike Manley has confirmed new product for India, "FCA currently working on a sub-4m product for India," Autocar quoted Manley as saying. He did not mention what the forthcoming vehicle for India would be. 

It needs to be noted that Jeep's small SUV from its global portfolio, the Renegade has been snapped multiple times in India while on test under camouflage. The model Manley mentioned is likely to be the Renegade.

In that case, the Renegade would be Jeep India's most affordable offering which is expected to be priced around Rs 10 lakh. At that price point, it will go up against the Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and the Tata Nexon in the Indian market. The Renegade is expected to be manufactured at FCA's Ranjangaon manufacturing unit, where the Compass is also built.

Reports claim Jeep India will place the Compass' 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo petrol and 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel mills in Renegade as well. A new report in Autocar India claims the company will also look into bringing smaller 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel engine. Adoption of smaller capacity diesel mill will help the company to price the compact SUV aggressively against its rivals, a formula that proved to be highly successful with the Compass.

Jeep already sells the Compass with 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel engine under the hood in some global markets. An export spec Compass, powered by 1.6-litre diesel engine, has also spotted in India recently. The mill is expected to develop 120hp in the Renegade.

Renegade is Jeep's entry-level SUV in its home market -- the US. It is offered in 4X2 and 4X4 variants in four trims – Sport, Latitude, Altitude and Trailhawk. India-spec may skip some of the variants while all-wheel-drive (AWD) variant is expected here.

Source: ACI