When Jeep first entered the Indian market, it promised big things. The Compass was priced quite aggressively, which made it a hit amongst Indians. Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse as of late, and Jeep is going all-in to change its luck. Attention Readers! Join us on the WhatsApp Community for daily auto news updates.
Jeep – Tata Partnership
Up to now, Tata has benefited the most from its partnership with Stellantis. The 2.0-litre diesel of the Harrier and Safari is Fiat-sourced, and Jeep also uses the same engine on the Compass and Meridian. Tata will now be returning the favour. Industry sources suggest that Jeep is set to utilise the ARGOS platform from the Tata Sierra for its upcoming SUV. Jeep is speculated to debut this new SUV by 2028.
Tata has spent the big bucks on developing the ARGOS platform. This platform is compatible with multiple powertrains, such as hybrid, ICE, and CNG. It is also important to note that ARGOS is compatible only with vehicles ranging from 4.3 m to 4.6 m, which suggests that Jeep is planning a potential successor to the Compass.
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Upcoming Jeep SUV – What To Expect?
It is likely that Tata would source the 1.5-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Sierra, Harrier and Safari to Jeep. Jeep would avoid going to the trouble of developing a new BS7-compliant engine. Importantly, Jeep also plans to export this upcoming SUV to up to 50 countries, and it would have to make a couple of tweaks to comply with Euro 7 norms.
While this upcoming SUV may share its platform with the Sierra, it would be much more expensive than it. Jeep is known for its premium pricing, and the same could hold true for this SUV. We expect it to be priced between Rs 15 lakh and Rs 30 lakh (on-road, Mumbai).
This upcoming SUV could play a key part in Jeep’s resurgence, not only in India but also in international markets. Jeep could also have utilised the Citroen’s C-Cubed platform, but because it was not AWD-compatible, Jeep would stick to the AWD-compatible ARGOS platform. Jeep has built a reputation for the off-roading capabilities of its models, so making a FWD-only SUV would be quite off-brand for Jeep. Can this partnership with Tata work out for Tata? Guess we would have to wait until 2028 for the answer.
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