Stellantis Group has just announced that the company aims to increase localization for its vehicle portfolio for the Indian market. Towards that end, Stellantis Group and Tata Motors JV will launch a new SUV which will be launched in India and shipped to 50 countries. Thus India is being established as a global hub for production and exports.
The most interesting aspect of this development is that this next generation SUV will be based on the platform provided by Tata Motors. Based on the Tata Motors platform, this made-in-India export-spec next-gen Jeep SUV is set to hit the roads by 2028. Let’s take a closer look.
Jeep SUV, Tata Platform
The strategic 50:50 joint venture between Tata Motors and Stellantis Group has produced several vehicles and has been active for almost two decades. The partnership jointly operates the Ranjangaon facility where Tata cars like Nexon and Curve as well as Jeep cars like Compass, Meridian and Wrangler (CKD) are manufactured.
The Ranjangaon facility will be the place where Jeep’s next-generation SUV is also likely to be manufactured. It will be deployed on a local platform provided by Tata Motors. At the time of writing this post, Stellantis Group has not yet confirmed which Tata Motors platform, but it is being speculated that it is the ARGOS platform on which the Sierra is based.
The platform is modular and scalable and capable of accommodating a wide range of powertrain and drivetrain configurations. Both FWD and AWD configurations are supported by the ARGOS platform. Additionally, the platform is capable of hosting powertrains across multiple fuels, including electric and CNG, which could make it a future fit for Jeep.
Stellantis is leveraging localisation, supply chain, cost structure, market-specific technology and cost-effectiveness. The company hopes to be ‘asset light’ and remain globally competitive with this Jeep project developed in India. This upcoming next-generation Jeep SUV will be manufactured in India and will also be exported to 50 countries globally.
what to expect?
This makes the India-developed Jeep project attractive to Indian SUV buyers looking for a global-spec vehicle. Depending on market demand, this upcoming Jeep SUV based on the Tata Motors platform could be offered in petrol, diesel, flex fuel, hybrid and even fully electric fuel options with RWD, FWD and AWD configurations.
The India-developed Jeep SUV is expected to make a grand debut in 2028 and is expected to be a game-changer for Stellantis in India. Currently, the company offers vehicles under the Jeep and Citroen brands and both these brands could use more sales and volumes.