India on Tuesday brought the Jeep brand in the India with the launch of two SUV models – Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.
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It is the same compact SUV that is being planned for India and the India-spec model will be manufactured here in Fiat’s Ranjangaon plant near Pune.
Three versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee: “Grand Cherokee SRT” the luxurious Grand Cherokee Summit, and the classy and refined Grand Cherokee Limited to be sold from Rs 93.64 to Rs 1.12 Crore (ex-showroom, Delhi). The Grand Cherokee Limited is priced at Rs 93.4 lakh while the Grand Cherokee Summit will set you back by Rs 1.03.
Grand Cherokee the more adaptable diesel powered Grand Cherokee has the following estimated specifications; 3.0-litre turbo diesel engine that makes 240bhp and returns 12.8 km/l.
Grand Cherokee may take the lead in the market of modern Jeep as the new-age buyer in India prefers SUV design and styling than the Wrangler. The first Jeep Destination Store will come up in Ahmedabad in Gujarat followed by New Delhi. The jeep also comes with 475 horses worth of power. The US-based auto manufacturer, for now, has ten dealerships across India starting with New Delhi and Ahmadabad. Interior design in the Grand Cherokee is far better and so the features of the auto. The Mumbai outlet will open in October, along with a second outlet in New Delhi, both before Diwali, followed by Hyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru. Also, another B-segment Jeep which is highly anticipated codenamed as 526 might be a sub-4 metre compact SUV that will take on rivals such as Maruti Suzuki Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport and others.
He also announced a locally made five-seater SUV to be launched in the next few months, which is expected to be price competitive and will compete with the likes of Honda CR-V or Mahindra XUV500. Power is expected to be between 107hp and 122hp from a 1.5-litre Fiat Multijet diesel engine (a downsized version the global 1.6-litre engine) for the 2WD model.
In order to acquaint customers with the virtues of the Jeep brand and its product capabilities, FCA plans to focus on providing the original Jeep experience to customers, he said.
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FCA says it has focussed on aftersales as one of its key drivers of growing business in India. The company is planning to formulate a brand with luxury vehicles such as Grand Cherokee and Wrangler with lesser price tag.
