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JEEP today rolled off the first Compass from its Indian plant and confirmed it as Australia’s production source with a prediction that it will be a vital model in boosting the fortunes of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA).

All right-drive versions – for markets including Australia, the UK, Japan and South Africa – will come off FCA’s Ranjangaon plant, near Mumbai.

Expected in Australia during the fourth quarter of this year, likely December, the Compass is Jeep’s high hope of securing a solid rung in the compact SUV segment that, this year at least, has been dominated by the Mazda CX-3.

Compass replaces the outgoing model of the same name and the Patriot that shared the same underpinnings. Both models were wound down over the past year as production ended in expectation of the replacement.

FCA Australia president and CEO, Steve Zanlunghi, told GoAutoNews Premium that the Compass “has been the one vehicle missing in our line up and plays in an integral segment for us”.

“We had our top Australian dealers at our Auburn Hills headquarters (Michigan) last week to test drive the Compass and they were seriously impressed with the drive, quality, fit and finish of the vehicle,” he said.

“The early drive reviews from the press has not only got the dealers eagerly anticipating the Compass in their showrooms, but has also generated a significant amount of consumer interest.”

FCA has invested $A370 million in the plant at Ranjangaon, near Pune south-east of Mumbai, to make the right-hand-drive Compass.

The joint-venture factory – owned by FCA and Fiat India Automobiles Private Ltd – is FCA’s only plant in India and has previously made models including the Fiat Punto and a range of engines.

The expansion of the plant for Compass puts production close to 170,000 units a year. Jeep is expected to add the Renegade to the production line in 2019 and then some Fiat-badged models.

FCA Asia Pacific chief operating officer, Paul Alcala, said the start of manufacturing was an important milestone for the company’s journey in India.

“The Compass will be the first ‘Made in India’ Jeep vehicle, and we are appreciative of the government’s efforts to make India a desirable manufacturing destination for multinational organisations, such as ours,” he said.

“With the start of production and an investment of US$280 million ($A370 million) in the Jeep Compass localisation, we are reaffirming our commitment to Indian consumers and our long-term presence in the country.”

FCA India president and managing director, Kevin Flynn, said: “We are at a cusp of a turnaround for the company with the roll-out of the locally-manufactured Jeep”.

 

“It was a very strategic decision to allow India to be one of the four manufacturing bases for Compass globally and take a responsibility for making it for all right-hand-drive markets,” he told Indian press.

The new Compass will also be made in Brazil, China and Mexico and be sold in more than 100 countries.

India will make four models for Australia Sport, Longitude, Limited and the flagship Trailhawk.

The Jeep Compass will be in full production in July with vehicles in Indian dealerships during the third quarter in three variants: Sport, Longitude and Limited.

The Indian variants will have combinations of diesel and petrol engines and manual and automatic transmissions with some distinct differences between the domestic and Australian vehicles. In total, 17 different drivetrains will be available to suit specific markets.

Jeep will have three models on sale in India by the end of the year the US-made Wrangler and Grand Cherokee and the locally-made Compass and in 2019, the Renegade.

Shipping for RHD markets outside India will start in the last quarter of 2017.

The Compass, code named the 556, is based on Jeep’s “new small-wide” platform and is a variation of that used by the smaller Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X. In size, Jeep added 65mm to the Renegade’s wheelbase.

The drivetrains have some similarity with the Cherokee with a 134kW/237Nm 2.4-litre four-cylinder aspirated petrol and nine-speed automatic with selectable all-wheel drive and, for the Trailhawk, the low-range transmission. But it will not be available with the Cherokee’s V6 engine.

There are five engines on offer including variations of a 2.0-litre turbo-diesel and a 2.0-litre petrol. There is also a six-speed manual and a six-speed automatic transmission selection but these are likely for the front-drive models and are yet to be confirmed for Australia.

Standard features are expected to be an electric tailgate, touchscreen infotainment with 5.0-, 7.0- or 8.4-inch displays, satellite navigation, electric park brake, a 3.5- or 7.0-inch LED driver information display, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, and more than 70 available advanced safety and security features.

Features include a “safety cage” construction with more than 65 per cent of parts made of high-strength steel, seven airbags, reversing camera and stability control with roll mitigation, as well as available autonomous emergency braking, lane departure warning, blind-spot monitor and rear cross-traffic alert. The Australian specifications will be announced closer to the launch.

Jeep said the Compass, which was designed and engineering in the US and then the technology was transferred to the four plants, has also been designed from the ground up “to exceed expectations for customer satisfaction, quality and reliability.

“Jeep Compass engineers used Design for Six Sigma (DFSS) to ensure the voice of the customer was captured during the vehicle development process,” the brand said.

“DFSS folds in voice of the customer data along with lessons learned to ensure every vehicle is of the highest quality possible.”

Jeep’s delight with the arrival of the Compass is obvious. The company has dealt with an aging Compass and Patriot pair against a rapidly moving and high-demand compact SUV sector in Australia.

In 2016, the Compass sold 1097 units and Patriot sold 731. This compares with the Mazda CX-3 at 18,334. It fared better in 2015 with a combined 3901 sales, about one-fifth of the (then) market leader, the Hyundai ix35.

By Neil Dowling

 

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