Indian production will commence in 2017.
The Jeep 551, commonly referred to as the Jeep C-SUV, was previously said to debut at the 2016 Sao Paulo Auto Show in November. However, according to a new report from Automotive News, the Jeep 551 will be unveiled at its production start at FCA's new Pernambuco assembly plant in Brazil in late-September.
Mikey Manley, Head of Jeep Brand at FCA, told the publication that the Jeep C-SUV is on track and will have its U.S. debut at the 2016 LA Auto Show in November. A month or a few months later, the new Jeep will reach the U.S. dealerships in early-2017.
The Jeep C-SUV will be the second generation model of either Jeep Patriot or Jeep Compass. The current, first generation Patriot and Compass are mechanical twins offered in different design, with the former targeted at traditional Jeep lovers and the latter competing with modern design compact crossovers/SUVs.
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The Jeep 551 will be based on the Fiat 500X and the Jeep Renegade‘s small-wide front-wheel drive platform. It's said to be offered with 164 hp 2.0-liter Tigershark petrol and a 170 hp 2.0-liter MultiJet II diesel engines mated to 6-speed manual or 9-speed automatic transmission. Along with Brazil, it will be produced in Mexico, China and India also. Indian production will reportedly start in 2017.
[Source: Automotive News]
