The smaller SUV Jeep is being worked on and the company is looking to manufacture the right hand drive model here in India. The car has been codenamed the “C SUV” and will be launched around mid 2017.
While details are still sketchy, the C SUV, as it has been dubbed, will be based on the 500x platform from Fiat and will have five seats. While it is being speculated that the Jeep Renegade may be built in India by Fiat, the news from the company is that this will be an all new vehicle suited specifically for the Right Hand Drive markets.
The company may look at putting the 1.6-litre Multijet on this new SUV, which will deliver 120bhp in terms of power as well as 300Nm in terms of torque. To be manufactured in India, the car will then be exported from here to right hand drive markets across the globe including the likes of Australia, South Africa, UK and others.
The Jeep brand is to be first showcased by Fiat in India at the upcoming February Auto Expo and the company will begin operations here will the Wrangler SUVs and the Grand Cherokee. The “C SUV”, once launched will take on the Renault Duster and the Hyundai Creta and it will be manufactured here unlike the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee which are to be imported from the US as CBUs. The new vehicle will likely to be priced in the sub 15 lakh segment here in India.