A new small Jeep model to sit below the Renegade has been confirmed by brand CEO Mike Manley.
The compact-sized Jeep will launch by 2022 and will become the entry point into the Jeep range. It will be priced below the Jeep Renegade, suggesting a starting price of around £15,000.
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The confirmation of the model, which was scooped by Autocar earlier this year, comes as part of a broader five-year strategy announced today.
It includes four electric models and 10 plug-in hybrids by 2022. A Wrangler pick-up and a Grand Wagonner, the latter of which was first confirmed in 2012, will also arrive by 2022.
Manley told Autocar in March: “A smaller car than the Renegade is very interesting to us and we are actively looking at the project now.” Clearly, that decision has now been made, which is not surprising giving the rapid growth of compact SUVs worldwide. It will be particularly important for its European success which has been struggling recently.
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“We’ve seen the general move in Europe towards smaller SUVs, and there could also be a market in Latin America,” added Manley.
The new car is unlikely to be sold in China, however. Manley said demand in China for smaller SUVs is focused on domestic brands, which offer strong value for money.
The platform strategy at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) suggests that the small Jeep would share its platform with a Fiat model, with the next-generation Fiat Panda city car a possible contender.
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The obvious route to market is for Jeep to develop its own body and interior on the running gear of the next-generation Panda 4x4.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Jeep's owner, is announcing today five-year plans for each of its brands: Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Lancia, Maserati and Ram..
It will also be the final strategy led by FCA boss Sergio Marchionne who retires next year.
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I've been imploring Land
I've been imploring Land Rover to do this for some 15 years now. The Jeep will sell like hot cakes.
New Entry Level Jeep
In 2011 Jeep took a Panda Cross painted it Jeep green with cream side panels and screwed a Jeep grille on it,showed it as the Jeep Phoenix. If you'd not known it's origins, the result looked really rather good,certainly better than the Renegade or the truly awful new Compass. If you're doing to produce a small SUV with real off road capability then the Panda 4x4 /Cross is a pretty good place to start, use that architecture make the styling boxier in true Jeep style and a rather appealing vehicle could be produced
Panda 4x4 a good start
Great idea. You just saved the Italians $200M ...so they won't do it and will continue to ignore their successes and create new dogs. The good news is that such Jeep dogs are great secondhand value!
How is it possible for a
How is it possible for a company with a heritage as strong as JEEP to produce something that looks so NAFF ?
ovlov wrote:
Jeep can make all the cheap cars it want, but I suspect they will put off Range Rover/ Grand Wagoneer type buyers in the process.