Jeep India is facing difficulties in finding buyers for their Compass SUV as the price segment forces many to choose either Hyundai Creta or get a size higher with Mahindra XUV500. The launch of Compass was a celebrated affair as the car initially got more than 5000 units per month in sales. The number is now down to less than 1500 units every month. Jeep plans to bring a premium Vitara Brezza rival to India in 2020 while their seven-seat Compass-based SUV will enter India in 2021. The former will result in a sudden sales boost for the American SUV brand.
The good news for the fans is that they will bring the next-gen Jeep Renegade to India in 2022, offering the same sort of performance as the Compass in an even compact package. However, the chances of reducing the performance to meet strict emission norms and justify the placement of Compass may force them to cut on the performance. The availability of Renegade will help Jeep get a direct rival to Hyundai Creta in the country. The launch of one product each in the compact, premium compact, 5-seat premium and 7-seat premium SUV by 2022 will help Jeep establish itself.
Jeep Renegade is expected to use the same 1.4L petrol and 2.0L diesel engine in the lower state of tune. On the other hand, the compact Vitara Brezza rival is expected to feature the Fiat-sourced 1.6L diesel engine for the country. The seven-seat Compass may get the same 2.0L diesel engine in a higher state of tune. For the Creta rival segment, Renegade can be detuned to produce around 140HP of output (same as the upcoming Tata Harrier) from the diesel engine. Apart from the volume generators, Jeep is ready to bring Compass Trailhawk and next-generation Wrangler in India.
