Stellantis jo duniya ki 4th largest automaker hai aur iss company ke under 14 car brands bhi aate hai. unhi brands mein se ek Jeep brand bhi aata hai. Jo aapni SUVs ke liye all over the jane jate hai. 2016 mein jab iss company ne India mein aapni shuruwat kari toh jeep India mein aapni journey ke liye kaafi excited the aur confident bhi the because Jeep has confident that they will rule in the luxury SUV segment. Jahan Mercedes, BMW jaise brands dominate karte hai uss SUV segment mein Jeep aapni presence ko dekhana chahta tha. And the company's targets were much bigger than they expect. Lakin jab market mein Jeep aaya toh expectation se reailty alag thi Jeep ne aapni flagship SUV Grand cherokee ke launch ke saath Indian market mein entry kari aur at launch time company tragets much bigger in the first year 2017, sales will reach 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles after a poor start. And after this Jeep ne phir bounce back kiya in July 2017 aapne first made in India model compass se jisko Jeep ne Maharashtra ke ranjangon Plant mein locally manufacture kiya aur yeh car uss time segment 1st car thi jo 4WD technology offer kar rahi thi at the price of 20 Lakh. Aur jab yeh car market mein aayi toh iss car ko media fertinity and customers se accha response millne laga and sales charts mein bhi yeh acchi position gain kar gayi. And then time goes on and on jab iske rivals jaise (Tata Harrier, Mg Hector, Kia Seltos) aaye aur ussi 2-3 saal baad the segment leader Hyundai creta ka 2nd generation model market mein aaya toh compass ki sales ka downfall shuru ho gaya aur phir Jeep ne 2021 mein iske facelift model ko launch kiya but jab tak facelift model aaya market mein or bahut option available the at the affordable price. pricing bhi ek major factor raha Facelift compass ko acche response na mille ka.
Reasons for not bringing the new Jeep Compass to India
Next generation Jeep compass ko cancel kar diya gaya hai according to autocar India Jeep new-gen compass ka Launch 2026 mein due tha aur autocar India ke according iss next gen compass jisko "J4U" codename diya gaya tha jo ek saal tak development mein tha usse shelves kar diya gaya, according to sources yeh car Indian market ke liye viable nahi tha for commercially purpose Jeep ke point of view se and then Jeep had to cancel the project "J4U".
Next gen compass ko cancel karne ke behind sabse bada reason yeh tha jis platform par iss car ko banaya jana tha jiska codename "J4U" tha wo STLA-M platform tha jis par Stellantis ne 400-500 Million approx. (3,344 crore - 4,180 crore) ka addtional investment kiya. And stellantis has big plans for STLA-M platform in the future stellantis ko na sirf new gen compass ko build karna tha, however iss platform par Peugeot SUV ko bhi banaya jana tha jo Malaysian market ke liye hogi and isse india se export kar ke Malaysian market mein sell kiya jana tha. But India mein compass ke downfall aur peugeot SUV ke limited future possibilities ki wajha se Minimum volumes nahi mill sakte the.
The platform of the STLA-M is incredibly flexible. Because iss platform par Sedan, crossover aur SUV ke alawa diffrent body styles ke cars ko design kiya ja sakta hai. iss platform ko advance connectivity features aur ADAS se bhi less kiya gaya hai. aur iss platform par ICE (Internal combustion engine) ke saath saath Electric vehicles ko bhi iss platform par design kiya ja sakta hai. Aur autocar India ne kuch time pehle bataya tha ki ICE (Internal combustion engine) compass ke saath Electric compass ko bhi launch kiya ja sakta tha. But it's all about the flexibility of this platform that led to the new gen Compass being canned.
According to stellantis sources, Different powertrain or different body style ki wajha se STLA-M platform kaafi expensive ho gaya hai. and the fact is that jo supplier project "J4U" par kam kar rahe the unhone kaha ki iski development cost already 1.7 times overshot ho chuki hai, and for this reason the "J4U" project has been sheveled, , aur yeh cost issue Stellantis ke Global CEO Carlos Tavares ke liye ek bada challenge hai jo aapne brutal cost control decisions ke liye jaane jate hai in the stellantis Financial Department.
Jab autocar India ne Stellantis ke spokesperson se iss bare mein pucha toh unka jawab yeh aaya “Stellantis remains committed to the Indian market as it is the only country to locally produce and assemble four Jeep nameplates outside of the United States. There are no changes to the production of Jeep vehicles in India, and there are no announcements to be made now.”
Current-generation Compass to continue beyond 2026
According to sources, Jeep will continue to manufacture the existing Compass in India beyond 2026 aur iske lifecycle ko company jab tak extend kar sakti hai tak tab tak kiya jayega through cosmetic upgrades. Jeep India ke cars lineup mein compass Jeep ka bread and butter model raha hai. 2017-2018 mein iss car ki sale 1,500-2,000 units ki thi jo ki average hai Indian car market mein. However, Jeep ki current situation aisi hai ki unhe iss model ko sale karne ke liye bhi struggle karna pad raha hai, And talking about last six months of sales for compass toh yeh 270 units ki rahi hai.
Now talking about compass petrol Jeep ne isse ke petrol engine ko May 2023 mein discontinue kar diya aur rumors the ki iske new petrol engine ko compass mein re-launch kiya jayega but low volumes ki wajha se iske petrol engine ko bhi cancel kar diya aur yeh maybe investment ko bhi justify nahi kar payega because of low demand and it will continue to offer in a diesel engine only.
Don't worry Jeep readying 15-20 Lakh Creta rival SUV
Now talking about the jeep new SUV jo replace karegi compass ko in the near future. Wo Jeep renegade hogi and sources ke according yeh car development phase mein hai and it will arrive by sometime in 2027, Iss baat ki confirmation stellantis ne aapne recent investor call presentation mein kari hai. however, stallentis did not disclose any details, but autocar india ke according company low-cost SUV develop kar rahi hai jo citroen ke (Common Modular Platform) par based hoga and india mein on sale C3 range bhi iss platform par develop kari gayi hai. It's unclear if the Renegade name will be applied to this Citroen-based Jeep when it launches in India.
However, autocar UK ko interview dete hue stellantis ke CEO Carlos Tavares ne iss platform ke bare mein bataya ki "yeh platform ko all over the world kahin se bhi source kiye jane ki capability rekhta hai, with simpler solution jisse yeh platform more cost-effective ho jata hai and globally saare markets mein mill jayega yeh platform."
“That platform has the capability to be sourced all over the world, with simpler solutions that make it much more cost-competitive than anything else we can find in the western world.” Says for this platform (Eng Translation)
"Carlos Tavares, CEO, Stallentis
It was previously announced that the new Renegade would make use of the group's STLA Small platform, but stallentis ne badalte market ko dekhte hue strategy change ki and wo CMP platform par shift kar gaye jo more-cost effective platform hai. The biggest advantage of this plaform is isme company ko major changes nahi karne honge. Recently company ne 4th gen Citroen C3 ko Europe launch kiya wahan bhi company ne iss car CMP platform par banaya hai.
Possibility of renegade electric 4x4
Recently, jeep ne announce kiya hai ki jeep renegade ka electric model 25,000 US dollars ke under hoga jo Indian currency mein approx. (20.8 Lakh) ka hoga.
Jeep brand ke DNA mein yeh hona important hai ke every single model have 4x4 variant. While, ICE powered CMP platform 4x4 drivetrain ko support nahi karta hai. aur isse 4x4 capable banane ke liye Jeep ko CMP platform ke monocoque floor ko reengineerd karna hoga. but Jeep ne isse implement karne ke liye isko smart car platform par transform kiya and capable banaya. jo CMP ka electric iteration hai. The CMP can now support a 4x4 version thanks to this. isse 4x4 capable banane ke liye Jeep ne iss mein front ke saath saath rear mein bhi electric axle de diya jisse yeh 4x4 capabilities se bhi less ho. but unfortunately this strategy was canned due to cost was high.
This platform will beneficial for both Jeep and Citroen to use and to take favorable cost in check. Iss se sabse bade advantage platform mein use hone wale modules jaise powertrain, E/E architecture, & suspension inn sab ki cost ko kam or control karne mein help hogi. and actual mein jeep ki first priority hai iss car ko under 15 lakh mein position karna and this thing seems to be going in favor of this platform. According to sources E/E architecture, on-board tech & other electronics ko bhi yeh platform operate kar sakta hai aur India's favorite and safest technology ADAS(Advance driver assistance System) ko bhi in future iss platform par upgrade and add kiya ja sakta hai.
Jeep Renegade Powertrain
Jeep Renegade Launch
Now you must be curious to know when this car will come in the Indian market. so the update is jeep currently renegade ko indian market mein launch karne ke liye consider kar raha hai. iske launch mein delay iss liye ho raha hai because renegade mein small wide platform par develop kiya gaya hai. however, company iss car ko market ke liye unviable maan rahi hai because the reason behind is renegade ka price and size dono hi compass ke equivalent hai. But at the moment picture is change and New-generation renegade ko Jeep Citroen ke CMP platform par develop kiya jayega and isse india mein launch karna bhi easy rahega for jeep. and not just that yeh car new compass ke gap ko bhi fill kar sakta hai jisko jeep ne sheleved kar diya hai.