Jeep Compass Hybrid lined up for India-launch

Jeep India recently unveiled the new Compass for the Indian market and the launch will happen on 27th January 2021. Jeep India’s President and Managing Director, Partha Dutta in an interview said that they may bring the hybrid Compass to the Indian market in the future.

In an interview with ZigWheels, Pratha Dutta said they have a plan to launch electrified Jeep Compass in the future but he did not say that the company will bring in the hybrid version of the mid-size SUV. He also added that the hybrid system is one of the pieces of the entire roadmap and confirmed the plan to launch an electrified Jeep Compass.

FCA is yet to reveal the plan to launch hybrid or electric products in the Indian market in the coming months. However, fully electrified vehicles are not expected to be launched in the Indian market in the coming time. There is no plan for a Battery Electric Vehicle or BEV in the global markets and if an electrified version of the Jeep Compass becomes a reality, it would be very costly for the Indian market that heavily relies on value-for-money products.

Also read: Jeep”s 3 new SUVs for India: What each one will look like!

Jeep does have a partially electrified or a hybrid Jeep Compass that is available in the International markets. It is a plug-in hybrid vehicle or PHEV. The Jeep Compass 4xe that is available in the international markets returns a phenomenal fuel efficiency of 50 km/l. It gets powered by a 1.3-litre turbocharged petrol engine and gets an electric motor as well. The electric motor is located on the rear axle and is powered by an 11.4 kWh, 400V, lithium-ion, nickel-manganese-cobalt, battery pack. The battery pack is located underneath the second-row seat.

Mild hybrid system?

It is a strong hybrid set-up and since there is two powertrain set-up, it is much more expensive than the standard version of the car. FCA does not plan to develop a mild-hybrid version of the Compass in the future. However, if they make one in the future, it will be powered by the FCA’s eTorque system. The Wrangler is available with the very same mild-hybrid system. The system utilises a Continental’s 48-volt Eco Drive unit.

The eTorque system uses a belt-driven motor generates and there is no alternator. There is a 48-volt Lithium-ion NMC-Graphite battery pack that powers a 3 kW DC convertor. This will allow the brand to bring down the price of the hybrid Jeep Compass by quite a lot but it would not return as good fuel efficiency as the strong hybrid model of the Jeep Compass.

The car will take on the likes of MG Hector Hybrid in the Indian market and upcoming hybrid vehicles like the Maruti Suzuki’s mid-size SUV that will take on the Creta. Currently, the Jeep Compass is positioned as a premium product in the segment and the addition of a hybrid system will further increase the price. However, it will ensure that the vehicle returns a maximum fuel efficiency. Jeep is likely to launch the new product by the end of 2022 since there is a requirement of a lot of development work.

Also read: All-new 2021 Mahindra XUV500: What it”ll look like