Jeep Renegade for India likely to be launched with 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel engine

Jeep India has got the much-needed boost in sales with the launch of its first made in India SUV, the Compass. The SUV has already racked up over 10000 bookings and the company has delivered over 5000 units. To keep up the positive momentum, the company is reportedly planning to launch another compact SUV which is likely to be the Renegade.

The debut of Renegade in India is expected at Auto Expo 2018 in February. All the reports so far claimed Jeep India will flaunt the Compass' 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo petrol and 2.0-litre MultiJet diesel mills in Renegade as well. However, a new report in Autocar India claims the company will also look into bringing 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel engine.

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. However, Jeep is tight-lipped about the future products in India so far.

If the report is anything to go by, engine options for India-spec Jeep Renegade will be 1.4-litre MultiAir turbo petrol and 1.6-litre MultiJet diesel. Adoption of smaller capacity diesel mill will help the company to price the compact SUV aggressively against rivals, a formula that proved to be highly successful with the Compass.

FCA, the parent company of Jeep, might not need to invest heavily in manufacturing the new small SUV in India as Compass and Renegade share the same platform.

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.

The Jeep Renegade will be pitted against the likes of Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza and Ford EcoSport.