Jeep India shelves Renegade subcompact SUV plan, hints at adding more products

Jeep Renegade

In what may come as a blessing in disguise for Hyundai Creta, Kia Seltos, etc., Jeep India has shelved plans to introduce the Renegade subcompact Sports Utility vehicle (SUV) in the country.

A senior official of Stellantis India told Moneycontrol that its near to medium-term focus will remain on premium SUVs, beginning with the Compass SUV, which is priced in the range of Rs 21 - 31 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi).

It is to be mentioned that in India, Stellantis has - Jeep & Citroen (Car Brands), Mopar & Eurorepar (Service Brands), Stellantis ICT (Software Development Centre) and Stellantis Engineering Centres (Pune & Chennai part of the automotive group Stellantis. At present, Jeep retails four car models—Jeep Compass, Wrangler, Meridian and Grand Cherokee—in its India portfolio.

“If you see our product introductions, we are moving towards upper premium luxury (SUV) segments. So we are not going to go down or play in the volumes segment and will always try to position ourselves in the premium luxury segment and that is where we are headed,” revealed Roland Bouchara, chief executive officer and managing director, Stellantis India.

However, he didn’t say categorically if the Renegade is been taken off as part of its future product plans.

The Renegade is a subcompact SUV under their Jeep marquee and was speculated to hit the Indian market during 2018.  Positioned below the Compass midsized SUV, it was expected to be available in a petrol engine and estimated to be priced at Rs 18-25 lakh.

A well-informed source, who requested anonymity, said that Renegade might come to India in the 4xe plug-in hybrid format later but will be very highly priced than Compass.

EV strategy

When asked if the company is working on electric variants of its existing models, “We have a strategy to electrify our range over the next few years and Jeep will be a part of it and whenever we have an update we will share.” He did not confirm or deny whether the Avenger SUV, which is launched in the European market, will be available in India. The same source revealed that this model is being earmarked for the European markets and a rollout in India looks improbable until 2024.

Meanwhile, Jeep India has rolled out the fifth generation Grand Cherokee, priced at Rs 77.50 lakh. Incidentally, India is the first country where the new Grand Cherokee is being assembled outside of North America. It is also the first right-hand drive market to get the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee. The company has rolled out three products—Meridian, Compass Trailhawk and Grand Cherokee—in the domestic market this year so far.

Additional product line-up

Meanwhile, Jeep India revealed that it is working on additional product lineups in its bid to increase its customer base and boost volumes next year.

"We are looking at growth for next year as well. When we add a product, growth is going to happen. So we increase the customer base, we increase the volume and of course add more business to it," Nipun Mahajan, head of Jeep India told news agency PTI on the sidelines of the launch.  He added, “So volume-wise the year (2023) is going to be exciting again for Jeep India," he said.

Jeep India retailed 12,136 units in the domestic market last year, registering a robust 130 per cent growth over 2020 and is expected to witness a 20 per cent growth this year.

“We are working on our next set of portfolios. We now have four products, which cover the market completely in the premium segment," he added.