As opposed to the Citroen C3 Aircross, upcoming Jeep compact SUV might be 5-seater only, given Jeep’s premium positioning in India
Citroen C3 Aircross is set to go to a salon and come out with a massive makeover wearing Jeep clothes. A recent report suggests Jeep is evaluating the launch of a new vehicle to rival the current crop of compact SUVs. This vehicle is said to be based on the same CMP platform underpinning Citroen C3 Aircross.
Creta Rival From Jeep Will Be Based On Citroen C3 Aircross
Both Jeep and Citroen fall under the umbrella of international conglomerate, Stellantis. To cater to the ever-growing compact SUV popularity, there are as many as nine contenders as of now. Tata Curvv is keen on crashing this party as the 10th member and Jeep would be 11th, if this strategy materialised.
Compact SUV segment strikes more profitability than sub 4m SUV space. Also, Jeep being a premium brand in India, compact SUV makes more sense. Of course Jeep doesn’t consider Compass as Creta rival despite being almost similar in size and Compass’ pricing justifies that logic further.
A re-badged Citroen C3 Aircross could prove beneficial for the brand in generating more volumes. Also, touching more families to better spread the brand conscience. Citroen’s CMP skateboard is cost-efficient and there is already a compact SUV offering developed based on this platform.
Jeep’s offering will wear completely different top hat that sticks to Jeep’s design and DNA. Considering Jeep’s premium car perception, a 7-seater version of this upcoming vehicle is less likely. To be positioned above C3 Aircross, Jeep’s version might even get an all-new interior with better quality materials and significantly more features.
What to expect?
We can expect Jeep Avenger inspired design on this upcoming compact SUV. Speculations might suggest a length under 4.3m, similar to Skoda Kushaq and VW Taigun. If close to 4.4m like Maruti Suzuki Grand Vitara or Toyota Hyryder, it would be almost the same size as Compass.
17-inch wheels, a panoramic sunroof, large infotainment and instrumentation screens, auto climate control, cruise control, push-button start, keyless entry and other features are likely. Despite carrying a Jeep badge, this vehicle has a higher probability of being FWD only and gets a sole powertrain option too.
Speaking of, the same 1.2L 3-cylinder turbo petrol engine as Citroen C3 Aircross is presumably offered on this Jeep vehicle. This engine makes 110 PS of peak power and 190 Nm of peak torque with 6-speed manual gearbox and 205 Nm of peak torque with 6-speed Aisin-sourced automatic gearbox.
Pricing might be on the higher side, given Jeep India’s prior strategies. Customer reception for this vehicle is likely to be stronger than Compass’.
