9:24 am, December 16, 2019
JEEP is planning to enter the compact 4×4 market in 2022 with a rival to the popular Suzuki Jimny.
Plans for such a vehicle were confirmed by the American firm’s European head of marketing, Marco Pigozzi.
Speaking to Auto Express, he said: ‘The car will be able to be used as a bad-ass Jeep, but it has also been designed to be used every day.’
Pigozzi also told the publication the car would be around four metres in length — just over half a metre longer than its Japanese rival.
It would enter the range underneath the Renegade as the firm’s entry-level model. Though unconfirmed what form it will take exactly, to take on the Suzuki Jimny in the off-road segment it would likely need to be a dedicated 4×4 in the vein of the Wrangler rather than a soft-roading crossover.
Electrification could be on the cards, with technology taken from French firm PSA Group’s stable of powertrains following the confirmation of a proposed merger between it and Jeep’s parent brand FCA.
An all-electric version could be possible if the car was based on PSA’s Common Modular Platform, which underpins the Peugeot e-208 and Vauxhall Corsa-e.
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