American SUV maker, Jeep is readying an all-new 7-seater SUV to rival the likes of the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour and the Volkswagen Tiguan AllSpace. Rumoured to be called the Jeep Commander, the new 7-seater SUV will be launched in India in the end of 2021 or early 2022. Not just a three-row SUV, Jeep is also developing a new sub-4 meter SUV for Europe as well as Indian market.
Called the Project 516, the new compact SUV is reportedly to hit production in November 2022 for Poland. FCA is also working on a different version of this SUV to be sold under the Fiat nameplate. The India-spec Jeep compact SUV will be produced in India at FCA’s Ranjangaon facility, which also produces the Compass SUV.
Digital Artist, Kleber Silva has released a new rendering of the Jeep sub-4 meter SUV. The rendering is inspired by Compass as well as Peugeot SUVs on sale in international markets. The compact SUV will be based on the Peugeot’s CMP or Common Modular Platform, which also underpins the Peugeot 2008, Citroen C4, Opel Corsa and the Peugeot 208. In fact, the upcoming Citroen CC21 compact SUV in India will be based on the simplified version of this platform.
The CMP platform is versatile enough to accommodate different body styles including sedans, hatchbacks, mid-sized SUVs and compact SUVs. Adding to it, the platform can support multiple engine options including electric, hybrid, diesel and petrol. The Jeep 516 will be a sub-4 meter SUV, which will be positioned against the likes of the Maruti Vitara Brezza, Ford EcoSport, Mahindra XUV300 and others.
The Jeep compact SUV will also share the engine specifications and transmission options with the PSA cars. It is likely to be powered by a new 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine that churns out 130bhp of power. Transmission options will include a 6-speed manual and a 6-speed automatic gearbox. The new model is not likely to feature a diesel engine. It is reported that the 4×4 version of the small SUV would actually be 4x, which will use an electric motor to generate traction on the opposite wheels of the combustion engine.
