Jeep to have exclusive dealership network in India
Jeep India has just announced that they will be launching the Grand Cherokee, Cherokee SRT and Wrangler on September 1, 2016. The Wrangler SRT is likely to be launched at a later date.
Jeep India has been teasing the arrival of their SUVs from almost three years now. The company showcased their offerings at the Auto Expo held earlier this year. Jeep India will however not sell their products through the existing Fiat outlets. There will be three new dealerships initially with the plan to ramp up to a couple more by the end of this year. Fiat India is also looking at setting up a couple of their own dealerships.
All the Jeep models will initially come in through the CBU route. Fiat India is looking a local assembly from next year. The company is expected to pump in close to 1800 crore for new assembly lines and the like at Ranjangaon. This is when the company will also start manufacturing a new compact Jeep model codenamed 551. It is likely to be priced around the Rs 20 lakh bracket and will compete with the XUV500. India will become Jeep's global manufacturing hub for right hand drive vehicles.
Jeep will sell only the Wrangler Unlimited in India. The 200PS/460Nm diesel engine in the Wrangler is mated to a 5-speed auto transmission and can reach 100kmph from naught in 10.2 seconds. There is also the Grand Cherokee which will be sold in Limited and Summit trims. Jeep India will also introduce their SRT brand though the Cherokee SRT. The Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT is for those desiring extra performance with the huge 6.4-litre V8 gasoline powered Hemi engine that makes 480PS. In contrast, the regular Grand Cherokee uses a diesel engine that is good for 245PS. Both the petrol and diesel engines in the Jeep Grand Cherokee are mated to 8-speed automatic transmissions.
At a later date, the Wrangler SRT will also be launched in India. While we don't have a timeline for the launch, expect a clearer answer on September 1, 2016.
For more information on Jeep India and their products, click here
Starts Rs 75.15 Lakhs
2987cc
Automatic
243
570
12.8 Kmpl
Starts Rs 53.9 Lakhs
1995cc
Automatic
268
400
-NA-
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