Fiat Chrysler unveils Made-in-India SUV Jeep Compass, rollout in June

Price: Rs 20-30 lakh; India to be one of four global manufacturing hubs for the Compass

FCA India, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, is set to roll out the Jeep Compass from its facility in Pune by June 2017. The company has unveiled the C-segment SUV offering, Compass, and said it has invested around $280 million in the Jeep Compass Project.

At the SUV’s first showcase at the manufacturing facility in Pune, Kevin Flynn, President and Managing Director, FCA India said that the local production schedule of the Jeep Compass is firmly on track and the company is all set to begin local production of the Jeep brand’s Global SUV by June this year.

The price of the car is expected to be around Rs 20-30 lakh.

The Jeep Compass will come with several Industry-first features and will set benchmarks in the Indian SUV space, he claimed.

The company announced two powertrain options that will be offered with the Jeep Compass – the 160+ HP, 250 Nm Multi-air petrol and the 170+ HP, 350 Nm.

Diesel. The SUV will also come with options of the 6-speed manual transmission and the 7-speed Dual Dry Clutch Technology Automatic or DDCT. Both these engines will be scalable to BS VI regulatory requirements in India.

Flynn added, “One of the important highlights of the Jeep Compass is that both its export as well as the India models will be identical in terms of Build and Quality. We will export to International right-hand drive markets from India.”

FCA launched the Jeep brand in the market for the first time in August 2016 with its Completely Built Units (CBU) and the company has been on track with its strategy to launch a heavily localised SUV for the Indian market this year.

The Jeep Compass brings with it the Jeep brand’s legacy, originality and capability. Its exterior styling is fresh but has the legendary design cues that Jeep SUVs are recognised with. The Jeep seven-slot grille and trapezoidal wheel arches define the Jeep Compass’ roots, according to the company.

The Jeep Compass will come with four-wheel drive capability called as Jeep Active Drive, which is equipped with Selec Terrain Traction Management System. The SUV will come with a Driveline Disconnect Technology (DDT). DDT disconnects the drive that goes to the rear wheels automatically when not required. This helps in fuel saving and assists safer driving.

The Jeep Compass will offer the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) across the range. The EPB comes in four modes.

The Jeep Compass will have Frequency Selective Damping (FSD), this technology provide variable damping that adjusts to road undulations. FSD is usually used in performance and luxury vehicles, however with this adaptation to the Compass product will stand apart in ride quality and exclusivity.

The Made-in-India Jeep Compass is being manufactured in 50 different trim, powertrain, transmission and colour combinations.