Fiat Group Automobiles India Limited is all set to introduce two new brands in the domestic market till the end of 2014. According to reports, initially, the company would be introducing the Jeep brand in India, which will be then followed by Abarth in 2014. The Jeep brand in particular has generated a lot of buzz in India as rumours are doing the round that its Wrangler model would the first to feature in India.
On this development, Nagesh Basavanhalli, the President and Managing Director of Fiat Chrysler India, was earlier quoted as saying "We will establish our presence in the premium hatch, entry and premium sedan and SUV segments within the next three years. The nine cars will include both new launches and modification as well as refreshments of existing vehicles.” He later added that SUVs from Jeep and Abarth would be part of the nine car portfolio that Fiat intended to have in three years. Reports have suggested that Jeep Grand Cherokee and Wrangler will be the two models that will make in the Indian market any time soon.
As told by company insiders, Fiat will officially launch the Jeep brand at the upcoming 2014 Auto Expo, which is scheduled to be held in February next year. Also to mention, the company might be launching its Jeep Wrangler model in India at the 2014 Auto Expo. Jeep Wrangler is expected to arrive in India through the Completely Knocked Down (CKD) route and in all likelihood, is expected to go on sale in February 2014. The expected price for Jeep Wrangler is ascertained to be Rs. 25 lakh, which means that the car of Jeep will offer competition to Toyota Fortuner, Honda CR-V, BMW X1 and Audi Q3.
It is presumed that Jeep Wrangler might be powered by a 3.6-litre V6 Penstar petrol engine that generates maximum power of 285 bhp and peak torque of 353 Nm. The diesel version of Wrangler shall be equipped with a 2.8-litre turbo diesel engine that churns out 197 bhp of maximum power alongside 451 Nm of torque. Talking abut the appearance of Jeep Wrangler, it has gone through a lot of updates in the recent past but still it maintains its old charm with the design elements remaining the same. The new model of Wrangler still manages to grab many eyeballs with its muscular build that still resembles to its predecessor models.
