FCA has confirmed that a sub-4 m Jeep Compact SUV for the Indian market is under development. The information was revealed via a Tweet by Autocar India. Jeep's upcoming compact SUV will rival the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, and Tata Nexon.
Mike Manley, who heads the Jeep & Ram brands, gave confirmation of the fact that Jeep is indeed working on a compact SUV for the Indian market that will duck under the 4 m compact car length restrictions.
First indications of Jeep's intentions to launch a compact SUV came last year in November when a report quoted Manley saying that the Jeep B-SUV will be positioned “on top of the EcoSport” and characteristics will be “very close” to the Ford vehicle.
The smallest SUV in Jeep's current lineup is the Renegade. It measures 4.32 m in length, which means it will not qualify for the small car benefits. Jeep may base the new compact SUV on the Renegade's platform or a modified version of it. In March 2016, a report revealed that a new Jeep A-Segment SUV based on the next generation Punto's platform is in the works, which is said to be underpinned by the Fiat Argo's MP1 platform.
Also Read - Jeep Renegade India launch in H2, 2019
FCA will also need a diesel engine displacing less than 1,500 cc to fir the small car tax slab. Their 1.3 L Multijet may have been an ideal candidate for the job, but a report from September claims that FCA will not be investing money to prepare that engine for the stricter emission norms coming into effect by 2020.
[source - Twitter]
