Jeep Compass SUV not coming in May, bookings yet to start

UPDATE--February 9: It is official. Jeep India has confirmed to International Business Times, India that the much-awaited Compass SUV will not be launched in the country in May as rumoured and is not open for bookings. We have also been told that the tentative launch date for the Compass in August 2017.

"We are delighted that customers cannot wait to own the all-new Jeep Compass. We understand that we have had a good number of enquiries already at our Jeep Destination Stores and customers are already wanting to make a booking though we have not yet officially announced the opening of bookings for our SUV. We are undoubtedly in an exciting phase as we are gearing up to launch India's first locally-manufactured Jeep SUV. The made-in-India Jeep Compass will roll out of our Ranjangaon facility near Pune. To put speculation to rest, we would like to reiterate that we will launch the Jeep Compass in the third quarter of CY 2017 and bookings will be officially announced closer to the launch," said Kevin Flynn, President and Manging Director, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles India.

Original story: It looks like the Compass SUV from iconic American automaker Jeep is coming to the market sooner than expected. If the emerging reports are to be believed, the Compass SUV could be launched in India as early as in May.

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Although recent reports had suggested that the launch of the Compass is likely to be pushed to later date in August as the company is not yet ready to accommodate the new model in its line-up in India, contrary to this is the latest report of Rushlane, which claims that the launch has been confirmed for May 2017. The upcoming SUV is also reportedly open for bookings at the authorised dealerships of the company.

Jeep Compass, the first model from the company's stable to be made in India is expected to be priced at around Rs 25 lakh. The Compass will be manufactured at Fiat's Ranjangaon plant in Maharashtra and when launched, the SUV will take on the likes of BMW X1, Hyundai Tucson, Honda CR-V, Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Chevrolet Trailblazer and Audi Q3 range.

Under the hood, the new Compass is expected to get 2.0-litre Multijet II diesel mill that can churn out 170bhp mated to either 6-speed manual and 9-speed automatic transmissions. The Compass is expected to be offered in both 2WD and 4WD configuration and will also feature Select-terrain that will allow the driver to choose from a variety of driving modes. The Jeep Compass is expected to come with features such as 8.4mm touchscreen, leather seats push-button start, a dual panoramic sunroof and rear aircon vents.

Source: RushLane