Jeep Compass sales cross 5,000 units in Aug-Sept, help FCA to gain 1.16% UV market share

For Jeep India and its parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), the success of Compass SUV was critical. The American UV maker entered India in August 2016 with high-end models like Wrangler and Cherokee but sales were not great they are priced high. Hence, Jeep decided to locally manufacture the Compass and priced it aggressively starting from Rs 15.16 lakh onwards. The move seems to have paid off.

Jeep India has sold a whopping 5,106 units of Compass in India in its first two months, reports Autocar Professional. The company started the delivering Compass units from August 6 and all the units sold so far are diesel variants only. Deliveries of petrol powered Compass units are yet to start.

Overwhelming sales also helped FCA to mark its presence in Indian utility vehicle space. With the success of Compass, FCA has earned 1.16 percent market share in the first half of the fiscal (April-September 2017) in the UV segment.

After the GST cess added, the Compass range now starts at Rs 15.16 lakh (up from Rs 14.95 lakh) for petrol Sport variant and goes all the way up to Rs 21.37 lakh (up from Rs 20.65 lakh) for top-of-the-line diesel Limited 4x4 (O) trim. Even after the price hike, the demand for compass has never shown a downward trend.

Jeep Compass petrol models are powered by a 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo engine that belts out 160bhp and 250Nm of torque. Six-speed manual and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission are offered with the petrol mill. The 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel mill develops 170.6bhp and 350Nm of torque mated to six-speed manual transmission.

Jeep India is believed to be working on bringing another entry-level SUV in India. The model in question will be the Renegade or SUV based on its platform. Jeep India will be hoping Compass like success with the new SUV as well which help FCA India to bolster its presence in India's UV space.