Jeep is working on a compact-SUV for India, which is expected to get launched in 2022. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and PSA Group also announced their merger in January 2021 officially. This merger should help Jeep in making the compact-SUV. Currently, the smallest vehicle that Jeep makes is the Renegade which still measures at 4,230 mm. As we can see that the SUV exceeds 4 metres it won’t be able to compete in the compact-SUV segment. Because of the merger, Jeep would be able to take the underpinnings from the upcoming Citroen CC21 compact-SUV. Here we have a new render of the Jeep’s Compact-SUV done by KDesign AG. The artist calls it Jeep Patriot.
As we can see the front of the compact-SUV is inspired by Compass. It gets similar sleek headlamps but with a projector setup instead of all LEDs. The upper and side surround also acts as an LED Daytime Running Lamp. Jeep’s 7 -slat grille has been blacked-out and the lower half of the bumper also gets multiple blacked-out air intakes. At the end of the air intakes, there are fog lamps placed. Then there is the lower half of the bumper which gets a mesh grille which has also been blacked out. We can also see a subtle front lip spoiler. The bonnet is sculpted and gets Jeep badging in front of it.
The side profile gets body cladding all around and 5-spoke alloy wheels which we have also seen on the Compass which was updated last month. There are no strong character lines on the side and it gets regular door handles. The stance of the compact-SUV is quite SUV-ish, thanks to the high ground clearance. The vehicle is finished in Blue whereas the roof, the A, B and C pillars and the roof rails are finished in Black giving the SUV a stealthy look. We can also see some horizontal lines on the rear quarter glass which should be just a cosmetic element. Now coming to the rear is where you will see a huge difference. The rear glass is quite small but stretches to the corners and it gets a rear wiper with washer. There are some huge horizontal LED tail lamps that mimic an eagle eye look that we have seen on the Renault Triber. There is also an LED strip that runs in the lower surround of the tail lamp. Then there is the Trailhawk badging below the right tail lamp and the Jeep badging sits right between the boot. There is a license plate holder below which there is a chunky skid plate with three black inserts. There is also quite a bit of black plastic in the lower half of the bumper and two reflectors which helps in enhancing the rugged look of the compact-SUV.
Also read: All-new SUVs launching in India during 2021
Because the new compact-SUV will be using the Citroen’s underpinnings, they could also use the same engine as the CC21 compact-SUV. So, it could come with a 1.2-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing around 100 PS of max power and a peak torque output of 150 Nm. It will be offered with a manual and an automatic transmission. But the Jeep’s SUV will be priced higher than the Citroen’s compact-SUV. Also, Jeep would need to price the compact-SUV very aggressively because the compact-SUV segment is one of the most competitively.
Via Kleber Silva
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