Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ Jeep brand is on track to meet its target of 1.9m global sales by the end of this year, up from 730,000 just five years ago.
The famous US 4×4 brand plans to push the numbers even higher over the next five years, increasing the number of nameplates up from five to eight by 2022.
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Adding to the current Renegade, Patriot, Wrangler, Compass and Cherokee will be a pick-up truck and the Grand Wagoneer aimed at the high end luxury SUV market.
Jeff Hines, head of Jeep in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA), said the brand was also looking at a smaller model below the Renegade.
“By the end of this year we will have achieved what we set out to do and now we are looking for further growth in volume and scope.”
He added: “Jeep is already the fastest growing utility vehicle brand in Europe and we have just had our best quarter ever in the region where we have experienced nine straight months of growth.
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By GlobalData“Globally, the UV segment is growing, from 2.5m in 2010 to 6.1m last year, and is expected to reach 9m by 2022 when we will have the benefit of being a full line player with 100% range renewal.
“There will also be a plug-in hybrid model available on all nameplates and we will have level three autonomy across the range.”
When introduced in 2014, the Renegade expanded the global Jeep lineup and marked the debut of the American brand in the B-SUV segment.
Renegade was also the first Jeep SUV to be built in Italy, at the Melfi SATA plant. It’s also made or assembled from kits in Brazil (along with the Compass), India and China.
Last year, Jeep sold 131,000 vehicles across the EMEA region, up from 25,000 in 2010.
Hines was speaking to just-auto.com at Fiat Chrysler’s Balocco research and development facility in Italy where a range of new engines was being unveiled for the Renegade.
Fiat developed the new diesel and petrol units which will also be rolled out across other FCA vehicles.
The new turbocharged petrol engines are of modular structure and available in two sizes: a one-litre, three-cylinder developing 120hp paired with a six-speed manual transmission and a 150hp, 1.3-litre, four-cylinder paired with a DDCT dual clutch transmission – both with front-wheel drive.
A lively 180hp, turbo, 1.3, paired with a nine-speed automatic transmission with torque converter and 4WD is also available.
FCA Group developed the new turbo family to offer a range of downsized petrol engines. The basic structure provides efficiency, modularity and a considerable degree of standardisation of components and manufacturing process, plus flexibility and future development potential.
The Renegade can also be equipped with 1.6- or two-litre turbodiesel engines, both with second generation MultiJet technology. Two displacements and three power levels are available – 1.6, 120hp, paired with manual or DDCT dual clutch automatic, two-litre, 140hp, or 170hp, both with manual or nine-speed automatic.
The 2019 Renegade also gets a mild refresh and will be available in Europe from September. Updates includes some design tweaks front and rear while standard equipment is boosted to include lane departure warning, intelligent speed assist, front collision warning, autonomous brake assist and park assist.
Hines claimed: “This makes the Renegade the best equipped and one of the safest vehicles in its segment.”
