[geotracks]

Pricing strategies in India for mid to high end vehicles is warped. The trend is to add new features and raise the cost. This is a good move, as technology progresses cars should have the latest & greatest. In countries like the US, SE Asia etc. their present-day cars are also feature rich and perhaps have more features than the same model cars sold in India, but the rate of price increase on cars in the US is not the same as what we see in India. Driving this behavior could be – weaker rupee or manufacturers want for higher margins.

Question is, who is responsible for rapid auto price increase in India - auto car manufacturers for higher margins or the Indian customer who shows un-paralleled brand value support despite high pricing? E.g. I am very sure if the Toyota Fortuner or Innova Crysta were to be sold at INR 4+ L over and above their current price, they would still trend high on sales charts.

So, if Jeep Compass were to be priced “high” and “Jeep” has the loyal Indian customer brand value support, it can clock high sales figures.

[reddevilgautam]

I think the first official Jeep Compass Indian trailer.

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?sto...17906774984728

Also, the Jeep Compass is live on Jeep India website. One can register their interest on it.

http://m.jeep-india.com/mobile/home....aser&hrf=http%

[CarguyNish]

Originally Posted by reddevilgautam

Also, the Jeep Compass is live on Jeep India website. One can register their interest on it.

http://m.jeep-india.com/mobile/home....aser&hrf=http%

I don't know what's the actual reason behind this. In the Details Register Part of the Jeep Compass Page, the cities mentioned apart from Metro's & Top Cities are slightly confusing.

The list mentions some big cities in the respective states of India.

Example - Salem & Madurai of TN, Satara & Nanded of Maharashtra. Now, Few questions I have are,

1. Does Jeep intend to open Dealerships in these Cities in future (Once the Compass nears launch)

2. Has Jeep divided the cities based on the coverage & planned accordingly for interested customers.

3. Has Jeep selected few well known cities of all states & listed them in 'Select a City' Section.

I hope all the cities listed there get Jeep Dealership. That would definitely help them reach out to customers if Compass is priced well.

[RavenAvi]

Official teaser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rhfkytrowYU

With class leading 4x4 capability, 50+ safety features, unmatched build quality and authentic Jeep DNA - the Jeep Compass is coming your way soon.

[wadewilson]

Can anyone confirm if this is true? I've been going gaga over the car since news of its arrival on our shores was confirmed.

"Made in India" Jeep Compass to Debut on April 12 - Hindustan Times

[pickdj]

Originally Posted by wadewilson

Can anyone confirm if this is true? I've been going gaga over the car since news of its arrival on our shores was confirmed.

"Made in India" Jeep Compass to Debut on April 12 - Hindustan Times

That's just the media launch. The actual launch will take another couple of months.
BTW, I went to the Fiat showroom today to find out more info. The sales executive knew nothing new. However he did mention that the car will start from 23L minimum and the top end version will be about 30L on road. If this is true then this is what we have feared all along.

[FIAT3031]

Originally Posted by pickdj

That's just the media launch. The actual launch will take another couple of months.
BTW, I went to the Fiat showroom today to find out more info. The sales executive knew nothing new. However he did mention that the car will start from 23L minimum and the top end version will be about 30L on road. If this is true then this is what we have feared all along.

FIAT showroom and executives are equally unaware as you & I are.

With ~80% localization and 4400mm Length, expect the launch pricing to underpin the Hyundai Tucson (similar dimensions & less localization) i.e <18.99L (starting price)

Its only till the ASS of FCA improves will the sales for Jeep actually reflect.
FIAT / Jeep cannot let go of this last opportunity to rebrand & sell in India.

[wadewilson]

Originally Posted by pickdj

That's just the media launch. The actual launch will take another couple of months...The sales executive... mention that the car will start from 23L minimum and the top end version will be about 30L on road.

Oh God, I hope they don't do that with the pricing. I had hoped that the price would be equal to or a little bit higher than the Tucson.

Originally Posted by FIAT3031

With ~80% localization and 4400mm Length, expect the launch pricing to underpin the Hyundai Tucson (similar dimensions & less localization) i.e <18.99L (starting price)

At <18.99L (ex-showroom), it would be a sweet spot. This looks way better than the Tucson for me

[aviraj]

This does not look like a sub 20L product at all. I don't expect the on road price to be below 25L even for the base version. Of course things might turn out to be a lot different if they have done extreme localization and quality is not at par with the international versions

[FIAT3031]

Originally Posted by aviraj

This does not look like a sub 20L product at all. I don't expect the on road price to be below 25L even for the base version. Of course things might turn out to be a lot different if they have done extreme localization and quality is not at par with the international versions

Localisation does not mean compromise on quality.
Localisation is a means to make owning and repairing a car cheaper.
Fiat has localised the Linea/Punto: Doesn't mean the quality is substandard.
I've owned a UNO where in the localisation content was low, resulting in high cost of maintenance.

Plus they'll be exporting Jeep models to other RHD countries.
Considering they're not looking at volumes like mass car makers, it definitely doesn't make sense to have a vendor supply differential quality of parts.

[geotracks]

Pricing will certainly play an important role in whether the Indian customers will support this new Jeep Compass SUV. Last summer while travelling in the US, had rented a 2016 JEEP Grand Cherokee for couple of weeks and drove thru’ mountains. Very happy with the performance, seating position, interiors, boot space, drivers view and most importantly it was very manurable on city roads as well as super stable on the Interstates at high speeds. I am expecting the JEEP Compass to be ‘comparable’ as it almost, “looks like” a small version of the JEEP Grand Cherokee. Even if localization is high, hope that JEEP maintains the quality of parts, fit & finish etc. JEEP already has their brand name followers worldwide and I am sure in India also many customers would like to own the JEEP brand.

However, since it is a collaboration with Fiat in India, the ASS and availability of spares with quick turnaround needs to be addressed with the right focus. I say this since, 2 Fiat Palio owners have stated to me in the past, that they really liked their respective Palios’ for the solid build, but ASS was a big challenge. In one instance, one of the Palio car had a leaking radiator, and after repeated trips to the service center for months, they could not acquire a spare. Water had to be filled in the radiator each day to keep cool while anxiously waiting for the spare to arrive. Finally it was sold and exchanged for an Hyundai i-20. ASS experience for that individual has been really pleasant with Hyundai. The other person sold the Palio and exchanged for a Maruti Ritz and he too has been very happy with the ASS of Maruti.

The Honda, Toyota, Hyundai, Maruti etc. has very well covered network for ASS. In summary the JEEP Compass hopefully will be a great product but, the showroom “welcome experience” and ASS will finally decide the volumes it may sale here.

[shankar.balan]

Originally Posted by FIAT3031

Localisation does not mean compromise on quality.

Localisation is a means to make owning and repairing a car cheaper.

Fiat has localised the Linea/Punto: Doesn't mean the quality is substandard.

I've owned a UNO where in the localisation content was low, resulting in high cost of maintenance.



Plus they'll be exporting Jeep models to other RHD countries.

Considering they're not looking at volumes like mass car makers, it definitely doesn't make sense to have a vendor supply differential quality of parts.

Such a good post.
Absolutely true.

The only sad thing for us Indians is that irrespective of localisation, if the price speculations of 23-30 L range are true, then we are ending up paying almost double what we might pay for this vehicle in the International market.

I d like to see what this costs in the UK and Australia for the top spec 4x4. If our Indian pricing ( on road) is comparable, then I can surely consider this for my next upgrade.

This is the exact same logic that I used and put into practice 6 years ago when I bought my Yeti which was an SKD or CKD at the time in India. However they managed to price it perfectly on par here for the same trim level of vehicle, as they had priced it in UK and Australia. This fact pleased me no end and was a major influencer in the 'tipping point' for me!

[Arjun Reddy]

A quick question for everyone. Variant to variant let's pit the Compass against the Endeavour only on the pricing. The Endeavour starts at around 23 lakhs for the 2.2 ltr 2 wheel drive and is around 28 lakhs ex showroom for the top spec.

What will each one of us find reasonable for Jeep to price their variants at.

Pls keep in mind that the Jeep Compass is a much smaller SUV in terms of real estate and also a much smaller engine compared to the top spec Endeavour. Also consider that the Jeep may have higher localisation compared to the Ford.
This needs to be diesel only.

I am going for the below pricing on the Compass.

Base diesel 2wd 17- 18 lakhs ex showroom

Top Spec 4WD at 21- 22 lakhs ex showroom. ( Limited and not the Trailhawk)

To make matters interesting we can also compare the Compass to the Hexa.

[84.monsoon]

Compass is a very promising proposition for the following 10 reasons:

1. You get a highly anticipated world debut vehicle at more or less the same time as US, Europe or any other market. This happens rarely. For example, we got the Fortuner almost a year after its launch elsewhere and we will get the Tiguan 15+ months after Europe Launch, Kodiaq more than 9 months after Europe launch. Compass will be available in the US only by June 2017. This is a nice feeling personally - the two times this happened (2010 Polo and 2013 Ecosport), I snapped up one of the first units sold in my city! Looking forward to an encore with the Compass.

2. Every review I have read so far is singing praises of the vehicle. Already it is being spoken of as the best compact SUV in the US, ahead of CR-V, RAV-4, Tucson etc. For example, see this review: http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/20...ve-review/#/23

3. Highly competitively priced in all other markets - it is priced $2000 below CRV and slightly below the Tucson also in the US, going by these benchmarks and considering the localization, we will get it at or around the price of the Tucson and well below Tiguan in India.

4. Off-road capabilities, even without the trail hawk variant, seem to be exceptionally good. Most reviews are testing and reporting positively on trails which look like the ones where usually only ladder-on-frame SUVs are tested. For instance, see the pictures in the above review. So I feel despite being a Monocoque, this one can take on the likes of the Fortuner and the Endeavour, in off-road capability - especially if we get the Trailhawk version. The list of off-road features includes low range gearing, 4WD lock, rock crawl mode, Hill Descent control, over 200mm ground clearance, Selectable terrain modes including Rock, Mud, Snow and Sand.

5. Engine/Gearbox tech offered is latest generation - Multiair and Mutijet II engines with nine speed automatic transmission.

6. Fit and finish is supposed to be exceptional going by international reviews, Most reviews are saying it is hard to tell fit and finish apart from the Grand Cherokee, which is a Rs 1 Cr + vehicle. I have generally found that global automakers generally do not compromise much on fit and finish while localizing. My Indian VW Polo from 2010 had equal fit and finish as what I could experience in Europe.

7. I have driven a previous generation Compass in the US on a holiday and the build quality and strength were exceptional. Drove it over 2000 miles and it as totally solid and unshakeable. The new Compass is supposed to better even that and the noise isolation is apparently the best in class. This will be a boon on noisy Indian streets.

8. Leading edge in car electronics, including Android Auto and Apple Car Play, upto 8.4 inch touch screen etc. Safety is also best in class with ESP, auto headlamps and standard 7 airbags across variants internationally.

9. We get a Diesel Option with a lot more torque that the US does not get! Being big brother of the tried and tested 1.3 and 1.6 MJDs already in India, and also a newer generation one, this should prove reliable and long lasting.

10. Very vibrant color choices, at least internationally - a captivating blue, a military green for a throw-back to the WW2 Jeeps as well as a two tone combination with a black roof.

[pdma]

Hmmm...,

One of the most updated ownership threads on this forum are the Fiat long term ownership threads, and it's not one or two, at least a bunch I can recall easily.
Still I do see comments on availability of spares. questions on quality etc..,
Service centres absolutely right, the number is wafer thin and I agree.
I know a few people (they are on this forum too) who still keep their S10's in top shape and they do get spares without any hiccups.
Someone has rightly pointed out that current fiat cars are all manufactured in India and they still hold on to quality values (much much better than many cars of the same segment)
I respect the views of everyone one here, but it would be better if we can take sometime read through information available and then yes comment / post as appropriate.

Cheers.
Pradeep.