[mayankjha1806]

This looks very interesting, hopefully FIAT is waking up and will be a force to take notice in India soon.

Once back in the US my friend got a Grand Cherokee as a replacement car when he gave the Acura Integra for repairs (or something like that) and we literally had fun in the car. Went on a longish highway drive and it was amazing. Hope they launch soon.

[TOR]

Originally Posted by rameshnanda

Eager to know about the handling of this vehicle.

The 2011 Cherokee and the 2012 Merc M-class share the same underpinnings. Even more the same platform is envisioned to form the base for the up coming Maserati SUV ! The handling/ride would be up there with the best if not the best.

[Animesh]

Jeep Cherokee will do well in India?

Most likely NOT.
- Jeep brand and almost all their offerings have been on the decline mode for a very long time.
- From my stay in USA, I have seen (not) enough of Jeeps on roads. The reason is absolutely everything.
- Outdated looks. I do like Rubicon. But that is just one of their many offerings.
- Nothing more to offer on any parameter than other SUV offerings.
- Bad interiors compared to peer.
- Bad road habits.
- Nothing exceptional off-road either.
- CBU/CKD mode will not make any economic sense for buyers here in India to buy a nothing vehicle.
- Fortuner, Pajero and others in 20 Lac segment can eat Jeep for Breakfast, lunch and Dinner.
- Low resale value
- Bad dealership network
- High maintenance cost

We just seem to be excited about anything Jeep because we have been a deprived lot for a very long time in terms of car offerings in the country. The Mahindra Thar (and predecessors) might not be great either, but they have the classic look of War era. That appeal is on a different level altogether.

IMO this Cherokee and siblings launch is highly anything to cheer about. What we need are SUVs that source as much from parts from India as possible, because this gives the most value for money.

Cherokee launch is nothing more to cheer about than launch of a Super Car. It might appeal to some, but at the end it is never going to make sale volumes. Atleast for Super Car that is justified.

[GTO]

If the news is true, it is important for the JEEP brand to be as disassociated from Fiat as possible (in terms of marketing & branding). Fiat cannot sell cars at 4 - 9 lakhs, there is no chance that customers will be willing to put 25 - 30 lakhs on an SUV which has even the F of Fiat around it. Remember, brand is everything for cars costing over 10 lakh rupees. Just ask the Hyundai Sonata or Maruti Grand Vitara / Kizashi.

Also, there is no chance that a Grand Cherokee can sell at 20 lakhs ex-showroom. I'd put the number more in the range of 30 lakhs. Among other reasons, the only diesel available with the Grand Cherokee is a 3.0 V6 with 550 Nm of torque. Petrol Cherokee in India? Only in dreams (or rather, nightmares).

[drmohitg]

From the discussions here one thing is more or less clear that this SUV is not going to do well in our market. The reason being the high price w.r.t. to the brand. So then is the company planning to launch some more cars later and trying to establish a certain premiumness with this SUV before the mass market offerings come?

[manojas]

Its time for Fiat to think about launching a different brand all together. Whatever they do, the name "Fiat" don't go well with the masses in India. So launching the JEEP Grand Cherokee under the Chrysler brand is a far better option than associating it with Fiat.

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by GTO

If the news is true, it is important for the JEEP brand to be as disassociated from Fiat as possible (in terms of marketing & branding). Fiat cannot sell cars at 4 - 9 lakhs, there is no chance that customers will be willing to put 25 - 30 lakhs on an SUV which has even the F of Fiat around it. Remember, brand is everything for cars costing over 10 lakh rupees. Just ask the Hyundai Sonata or Maruti Grand Vitara / Kizashi.
.

I just can't imagine customers buying Jeeps and chryslers and cherokees and then going to the most famous A.S.S. - Tata fiat for servicing.
And I really hope that if Fiat will open separate dealerships and service centres, then they add Fiat cars too under the new arrangements.

[S350L-E240]

Jeep Grand Cherokee if launched would be a great car, ESP. Considering it is built on the yet to launch in India Mercedes ML, but the way I see it the above news looks like something a journalist created just to fill the gap in his papers.

Till we have some concrete information ideally it's best to lock this thread to avoid countless speculations here, also if and when they are coming we will have officials confirming it.

Regards,

[rambo1o1]

This is great news! always wanted to own a jeep.
But Fiat needs to disassociate itself with the jeep and Chrysler brand if it wants the brands to be successful in India.Fiat as a brand still does not commend the respect of the majority of the Indian buyers. I guess these plans will materialize in about 2years? so by then JEEP should get its overall reliability and interior design issues in order, heard from my cousins that jeeps do suffer from electrical issues in the US and dont sell that well.
But if jeep is launched separately with its own showrooms and service centers and priced decently then it will surely sell well.

just my 2 cents

[Bluengel180]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

I just can't imagine customers buying Jeeps and chryslers and cherokees and then going to the most famous A.S.S. - Tata fiat for servicing.
And I really hope that if Fiat will open separate dealerships and service centres, then they add Fiat cars too under the new arrangements.

I doubt that will happen,jaguars and land rovers aren't serviced at TATA ***

[vinit.merchant]

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

I doubt that will happen,jaguars and land rovers aren't serviced at TATA ***

Yes. But that's Tata. We all know about Fiat blunders. Never know what they finally throw out.

[suhaas307]

Originally Posted by vinit.merchant

I just can't imagine customers buying Jeeps and chryslers and cherokees and then going to the most famous A.S.S. - Tata fiat for servicing.
And I really hope that if Fiat will open separate dealerships and service centres, then they add Fiat cars too under the new arrangements.

Originally Posted by Bluengel180

I doubt that will happen,jaguars and land rovers aren't serviced at TATA ***

Not just that Bluengel.

If reports are true, the Chrysler brand will be brought in by Fiat ONLY after the Tata-Fiat venture dissolves.

And I'm sure Chrysler products won't be serviced by Fiat. They'd have their own service-outlets and establishments. It's an entirely different brand altogether.

Audi cars don't go to VW service centers, even though Audi is owned by VW. Similarly, Renault cars don't go to Nissan service-centers.

The Tata-Fiat venture was coined for the sole purpose of strengthening Fiat's diminishing service in India. Not for any other reason, I suppose.

[rameshnanda]

Originally Posted by suhaas307

Not just that Bluengel.

If reports are true, the Chrysler brand will be brought in by Fiat ONLY after the Tata-Fiat venture dissolves.

And I'm sure Chrysler products won't be serviced by Fiat. They'd have their own service-outlets and establishments. It's an entirely different brand altogether.

Audi cars don't go to VW service centers, even though Audi is owned by VW. Similarly, Renault cars don't go to Nissan service-centers.

The Tata-Fiat venture was coined for the sole purpose of strengthening Fiat's diminishing service in India. Not for any other reason, I suppose.

+1 to your views.
O.T - Even Tata is feeling the heat for premium segment vehicle (Aria) not selling well. I heard from a unreliable source that Tata is planning for separate service station for Aria.

[ankur_fox]

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[troublemaker]

I have used a '97 Laredo V8 for a short period of time and believe me, the maintenance pains overshadowed the V8 fun. Though the current Cherokee is far better compared to what I had; mainly due to the MB underpinnings.

I'm sure they will not even dream about bring the V8 in India. They will have to use one of the MB diesels (OM647/OM642) as used in some late version non-american Cherokees or VM Motori (A630) used in Europe. That would make the price-point jump.

Anyways, I don't believe Chrysler would like to bring Jeep into India via the Fiat route. It just adds up all the risks together!

P.S. - Chrysler does make RHD Jeeps in US; mainly for postal workers and export(?).