[TusharK]

According to a media report, Jeep is gearing up to launch an updated version of the Compass next month (September 2024), followed by the Meridian facelift in October 2024.



Jeep plans to roll out regular updates of its products in India. The carmaker believes that, unlike European markets where updates are rolled out every 18-24 months, the highly competitive Indian market needs a product refresh every 6 months.

That being said, the Compass is expected to receive no more than minor cosmetic updates. Similarly, the Meridian will also feature subtle styling changes on the outside, while on the interior, the 3-row SUV could get new seat upholstery and additional features like a front and rear dashcam and an air purifier.

The Compass and Meridian will retain the same 2.0-litre diesel engine, which puts out 168 BHP and 350 Nm. It will be paired with either a 6-speed manual or a 9-speed automatic transmission.

Source: Autocar India

Link to Team-BHP News

[CEF_Beasts]

According to ACI’s August ‘24 Magazine;

Jeep India is planning to sell the facelifted Meridian as a 5 seater alongside the current 7 seater, to give it a lower price tag !

Although with the Compass already present as the 5 seater counterpart of the 7 seater Meridian, I wonder how will the pricing aspect be kept in check…

[sharmanova]

At the most, they'll add 3-4 features and raise the price by 2-3 lacs.

My humble request to Jeep is to launch the Compass and the Meridian with a Petrol engine. Compass Petrol:diesel sales ratio used to be around 40:60. So atleast introduce a 2.0L Turbo Petrol engine by which you guys can increase your sales by atleast 30-40%.

[arjab]

Looks like we have another re-run of VW group's facelift strategy with the Jeep siblings, like what VW did with the Polo & Vento to manage their lifecycle.

The Compass M566 RHD platform for India is almost a decade old, having seen the light of day, internationally in 2016 and in India in 2017. At an asking price of INR2.5 million plus the Compass, which is not that spacious as its competitors, just cannot cut it any more in the mid - SUV segment in the face of newer, fresher competition.

Apart from incremental re-freshes can Jeep do anything else to revive the future of this very well engineered car? Well, they can re-calibrate their gasoline engine and relaunch a petrol variant once again. A large chunk of loyal Delhi-NCR Jeep buyers would be keen to have a petrol option.

Jeep can also look at the hybrid option. In the international lineup the Compass has a 1.3 litre PHEV variant which is efficient and powerful. Jeep can serioously consider making a business case out of it w.r.t. domestic sales as well as exports of a PHEV model from India.
The Fiat 2.0 litre diesel powered Compass oil burner feels quite archaic compared to the recent crop of diesels as featured in the latest Mahindra's. While the Mahindra Diesel's feel refined, smooth with superior NVH across the revv range in their vehicles, the Fiat 2.0 litre diesel powered Compass feel noisy, gravelly and laggy (below 2000 rpm).

As per various media reports, it looks like Jeep will take Stellantis's CMP platform and launch a newer, cheaper, smaller model in India some time in 2025-2026. But then again that will be a single new model. If Jeep wants to survive in India and have customer mindshare they need to offer multiple models at different price points. Once upon a time there was a serious talk of launching the Renegade in India which could have proved to be good competition to the existing 4.3 metre SUV models in our country but that plan was scrapped.

Jeep is a fantastic brand name and has an enviable brand equity in India. Even till today many people equate SUV like vehicles as "Jeep gaddi's". I have heard people talk about Mahindra's "Jeep",(Thar & now the Roxx), models and also the new Maruti "Jeep"(Jimny).
Pity, one find negligible such reference w.r.t. the parent car!

[superblover]

Jeep has admitted that they will not update the Compass for the next gen until 2026 and beyond.

https://www.autocarindia.com/car-new...r-india-431893

No plans for a petrol or hybrid powertrain update either and will continue on in it's present form. So they have written off the STLA-M platform for it's prohibitive costs. Current evaluation of the CMP platform for the sub 20 lakh Jeep and it being in the "study stage" at the end of 2024 implies it won't enter production until 2026 at the least.

So the real questions are
1. "How long can Jeep continue to burn Stellantis money till they have updated and new products?"
2. "If they choose to do so, what best can they do to maintain brand relevance in this lull period?"
3. "Will a refreshed/heavily updated Compass and a new sub 20 lakh Jeep be enough 2 or 3 years down the line when competitors come up with a new bag of tricks and move the goalpost yet again?"

Jeep, Citroen and Stellantis as a whole need to be paying a great deal of attention to these considerations. Personally, i think the next couple of years are a great period to spend on increasing touch points and addressing the abysmal showroom and service center scenario across the country. Building dealer confidence and strengthening the brand value in this time is very crucial. Jeep is currently maintaining a good press release cadence and they have started to understand that freshness and wow factor go a much longer way than solid engineering and great dynamics in our market. These considerations need to be completely internalised within their brand portfolio and permeate all through, right from design, product lifecycles, production and what not. The cost increase must also be addressed so that they atleast stay flat in terms of prices over the next few years because any further increases might be too much. More large scale events and community creation for Jeep owners can also be beneficial in selling Jeep ownership as an experience rather than just the product. The 4x4 is their USP. Might as well capitalise on that niche and lean heavily into the "lifestyle vehicle" trope. So many Thars get sold every month and it's a shame the ACTUAL Jeep doesn't sell as much.

I'm watching Stellantis closely and have them on the top of my list when i upgrade next. They seem to be on the right track for the most. But good beginnings don't mean anything. We need the good ending. I hope solid products such as the Compass get the commercial success they deserve.

[the_90s_car_guy]

At the most, they'll add 3-4 features and raise the price by 2-3 lacs.

Sadly, almost every manufacturer seems to be doing exactly this. The German trio are the most guilty in this!

My humble request to Jeep is to launch the Compass and the Meridian with a Petrol engine. Compass Petrol:diesel sales ratio used to be around 40:60. So atleast introduce a 2.0L Turbo Petrol engine by which you guys can increase your sales by atleast 30-40%.

Absolutely spot on observation. Compass sales have seen a notable drop because of this and this wasn't a smart thing to do when they didn't have the kind of numbers their other larger peers have in India.

Autocar noted last year that they expect Jeep to offer a new 1.3L turbo petrol unit sometime in 2025. I don't know how dealers will survive that long with their most popular model registering a 50% drop in sales!

Jeep has added a new 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engine to the Compass line-up internationally. This new engine churns out a massive-for-its class 272hp and 400Nm of torque, making it the most powerful Compass. The same 2.0-litre turbo-petrol also sees duty in the Jeep Wrangler and the Grand Cherokee SUVs in the Indian market. This engine will also see duty on the Jeep Commander abroad, which is essentially the Meridian SUV on sale in India.

More on this, here.

I guess this 2L engine will never make its way to the Compass line up in India so as to not affect the sales of their bigger siblings. But I'm sure atleast some buyers will be willing to pay a premium if it is offered here.

[volkman10]

Jeep Meridian facelift to get 5-seater option.

Bookings for the Meridian facelift in 5-seater and 7-seater form have opened from today.

Jeep Meridian facelift gets altered grille design
Interior gets new trims and upholstery
2.0-litre diesel engine expected to continue unchanged

The 5-seat Meridian should help Jeep price the large SUV a bit more competitively – the outgoing model’s starting price was Rs 31.23 lakh (the range tops off at Rs 39.83 lakh). However, it remains to be seen how it will be positioned when compared to the Compass (Rs 18.99 lakh-32.41 lakh), on which the Meridian is based.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxM5...nnel=JeepIndia

Link:

[Venkatesh]

More teaser images of updated Meridian.

[DRPSREDDY]

Originally Posted by superblover

Jeep has admitted that they will not update the Compass for the next gen until 2026 and beyond.

1. "How long can Jeep continue to burn Stellantis money till they have updated and new products?"

Jeep, Citroen and Stellantis as a whole need to be paying a great deal of attention to these considerations.

The Stellantis group should follow a two pronged approach.

1. Jeep and Fiat.
2. Citroën and Peugeot.

Each of the pair should get a common platform and make the cars, sell and service through a single network as a pair working together. That way they can increase the brand and well as product portfolio and later exchange platforms and engines to increase the range of cars to offer.

[100Kmphormore]

As much as their handling is great, power has to increase to make it an attractive buy at the price, and the darned gearbox has to be tuned better for faster shifts and better fuel efficiency. Some BHPians have also complained of build quality issues. The same vehicles in this class have more power (Endeavour when present - 200 hp, 470 Nm Fortuner - 204 hp, 500Nm, Gloster - 218 hp 480 Nm)

[DRPSREDDY]

Originally Posted by 100Kmphormore

As much as their handling is great, power has to increase to make it an attractive buy at the price, and the darned gearbox has to be tuned better for faster shifts and better fuel efficiency. Some BHPians have also complained of build quality issues. The same vehicles in this class have more power (Endeavour when present - 200 hp, 470 Nm Fortuner - 204 hp, 500Nm, Gloster - 218 hp 480 Nm)

Due to their limited portfolio they are unable to get a variety of engines and they should do it by expanding brands and vehicles. Until then they cannot increase the Stellantis in India.

[sids1811]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

More teaser images of updated Meridian.

Attachment 2666034

Jeep would have been much better off not showing this screen as Big on Tech.

For a normal person, the screen size is small, bezels are too big and graphics are from an era bygone.

A black screen would have hidden the shortcomings and looked classy IMHO.

Even if the product is half baked atleast the marketing can be complete ✅

[ron178]

Originally Posted by Venkatesh

Attachment 2666033

I see no mention of adding a three-point middle seatbelt to non-Overland variants. I hope that is implicit as they added it to the Compass in January.

[buzzy_boy]

I've already written about the Compass being too small to compete with the likes of the XUV700.

Since then, Jeep has decided not to bring the next gen Compass to India. With the 5-seater Meridian, Jeep will likely kill off the Compass. It also has a product that has the potential to take on the Harrier, Safari, and the XUV 700.

If Jeep prices the premium at ~3-5 lakhs over the XUV 700, then they'd be onto something!

[FlankerFury]

Spotted a Meridian test mule a few days ago. It's definitely testing ADAS functionalities since the sticker at the back says, "Caution, keep distance"