Jeep Wrangler spotted in India

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) has already announced the launch of the Jeep brand in 2016, in India. The Jeep Wrangler has been spotted testing near the company’s Ranjangaon plant, close to Pune.

To start with, Jeep will have two products in its line up – The Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Grand Cherokee, which will be followed by a sub-20 lakh compact SUV.  Both Grand Cherokee and Wrangler brands would be launched together next year and would come as CBUs (completely built units), whereas the compact SUV shall be manufactured locally and will debut in 2017.

The vehicle seen in the pic, clicked by MotorOctane reader Siddharth, is the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited, which is a four-door SUV, built on a ladder-frame chassis. The Wrangler Unlimited will come fitted with a 2.8 litre, CRDI, DOHC 16V, 4-cylinder intercooler turbo diesel engine, developing 200 bhp @3600 rpm and 460Nm torque @ 1,600-2,600rpm. This will be mated to a 5-speed automatic transmission.  It also features Jeep’s ‘Command-Trac’, which is an advanced 4X4, manual, part-time, shift-on-the-fly transfer case. The heavy-duty suspension has 5-link solid axles with coil springs and heavy-duty monotube gas-charged shock absorbers.

Other features include dual airbags, electronic stability control, ABS, disc brakes on all four-wheels, height adjustable pre-tensioning front seatbelts, and high-tensile steel roll bars.

This is an SUV which defines off-roading and is known worldwide for its ‘go-anywhere’ capabilities. The Jeep Wrangler is a cult and has tremendous fan following around the world. As it will come via the CBU route to India, expect it to be priced in excess of INR 30 lakhs.