Fiat drives iconic Jeep to India with 2 models in bouquet

Jodhpur, Aug 30 (PTI) Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA)India today brought the Jeep brand in the country with thelaunch of two SUV models — Wrangler and Grand Cherokee. While the Wrangler is priced at Rs 71.59 lakh, the GrandCherokee, which will be available in three variants, will bepriced in between Rs 93.64 lakhs and Rs 1.12 crore(ex-showroom price, Delhi). The Italian carmaker also announced its plans to startlocal production at Ranjangoan plant in Pune from the secondquarter of next year. Grand Cherokee comes in three variants — The GrandCherokee SRT (Rs 1.12 crore), the 3-litre diesel poweredSummit (Rs 1.03 crore) and the 3-litre, 8-speed diesel versionLimited at Rs 93.64 lakh. The India launch marks the 75 years of the iconic Jeepfrom Chrysler, which incidentally is also the inventor of theSUVs in the world, FCA India president and MD Kevin Flynnsaid. The company will open 10 dealerships under the JeepDestination Store brand in nine cities by the end of thiscalendar year. The first outlet is live in Ahmedabad from today whileNew Delhi and Chennai will come in line next month. The Mumbai outlet will open in October, along with asecond outlet in New Delhi, both before Diwali, followed byHyderabad, Chandigarh, Kochi and Bengaluru, Flynn said. On the two SUVs, the company will offer two-years ofunlimited mileage warranty apart from a host of other servicesunder the ‘Jeep Assist’ that offers a 24/7 helpline androadside assistance programme for 24 months, a business classair ticket or a hotel stay in case of accidents andbreakdowns. "Come the second quarter of 2017, we will have theseiconic models, which are imported as of now as completelybuilt units, being manufactured at our Ranjangoan plant,which has around 2 lakh capacity, most of which is being usedby Fiat now," Flynn told PTI. He also said the company will add another premium JeepSUV next year when local production starts. More PTI BEN ARSBALANUSDM