Rs 10 Lakh Jeep SUV coming soon?
Jeep has been on a roll this year. The American brand launched the Compass facelift around the beginning of this year. Recently, the brand launched its Wrangler for Indian customers. Now, we hear that the brand is planning a compact SUV, code-named Junior, that will take on rivals like Tata Nexon, Kia Sonet, Hyundai Venue & Maruti Vitara Brezza. However, we believe the Jeep Junior will make no sense for India. In this article, we will discuss why the Jeep Junior will not make sense for India.
No Diesel Engine
The Jeep will need a diesel engine as most of the other competitors are providing their products with one. The Fiat, during its stint in the country, provided its cars with a 1.3-litre multi-jet diesel engine. The engine was used by Tata, Maruti Suzuki and Chevrolet as well. However, with the BS6 in play, the Fiat engine was shunned. Now, if the Jeep has to come with a diesel engine, it has to bring back the Fiat engine. However, sourcing a diesel engine, especially for a single product will not be feasible for the brand. This will only increase the cost of the product.
The extra premium for the brand name
Jeep is a high-value brand, at least when India is considered. So, if they decide to bring a product in the compact SUV segment, the brand will for sure ask an extra premium over the other competitors, because of the Jeep badge. Now, paying an extra premium for a car that will cost even more than cars like the Kia Sonet, will not make it feasible for prospective buyers. The top-model of the Kia Sonet sells at Rs 15.70 Lakhs (on-road Mumbai).
Less powerful engine at a high premium
The above-mentioned points come together to make an even further strong case why the Jeep Junior will make very little sense for the country. The 1.3-litre diesel engine made 88.5bhp when it was present in the country. However, around 2 years have passed since, and every competitor now provides their cars with many powerful engines. So, even if Jeep does bring it back, a less powerful engine on a much costly car will make no sense for customers.
So the Jeep Junior will make no sense for the Indian buyers; unless Jeep brings the Junior at a competitive price, along with powerful engines on board.
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