Jeep's 7-seat full-size SUV for India likely to share platform with Compass

Codenamed Low-D, the new Jeep SUV will essentially fill the void between Compass and Wrangler in the portfolio. It will go up against Honda CR-V and Skoda Kodiaq.

After a lacklustre start in India with exorbitantly priced Wrangler and Grand Cherokee, Jeep India hit the jackpot when they launched made-in-India Compass in mid-2017. The competitively priced compact SUV has become a runaway success and the American carmaker under Fiat Chrysler Group (FCA) is now planning to build a portfolio that suits to Indian style.

Jeep is now reportedly planning to launch two SUVs in India in the future. A new sub-four-metre compact SUV below Compass will be the most awaited model which has been earmarked for 2022. Prior to that, Jeep will bridge the gap between Compass and Wrangler by launching a new three-row seven-seater SUV sometime in 2021, reports Autocar.

Though the company is yet to comment on the development of seven-seat SUV, it has been codenamed Low-D, the report adds. Jeep India is expected to slot this SUV as a rival Honda CR-V and Skoda Kodiaq in our market and hence expected the price hovering around Rs 30 lakh mark.

Jeep is expected to use Small Wide 4x4 platform for the new SUV. The platform currently underpins the Renegade, the Compass, Fiat's Toro pickup sold in South America and also Fiat 500X. The low-cost platform will help the company to keep the final price in check.

It is too early to draw a conclusion on the design of the new SUV. Jeep currently sells a seven-seat SUV model only in China. The SUV in question is the Grand Commander which is the offspring of FCA (parent of Jeep) and partner Guangzhou Automotive Group (GAC) that produces Cherokees and Renegades for the Chinese market.

The India-spec SUV new SUV is expected to take design cues of the Grand Commander. In that case, it will feature slim headlights framing a broad seven-slot grille, large windows, beefy square wheel arches and U-shaped tail lights, all in line with the new Cherokee.

While these are Jeep's future products in the initial stage, the next two launches in India will be off-road focussed Compass Trailhawk and new Wrangler. Both are expected to enter the market in early 2019.