2013 and 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee spotted testing on Indian soil

Fiat had announced at the end of last year that they would introduce the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler in the third quarter of this fiscal. The 2014 Grand Cherokee was unveiled earlier this year and has gone on sale in the US alongside its predecessor. However, we believe that same strategy will not be implemented in India by Jeep considering that they plan to introduce only one variant here; the Overland Summit. It is likely that the 2013 model was doing component testing while the 2014 model is what will be launched in India. Such a strategy would also explain why the Jeep vehicles that have been spotted over the last eight months in various parts of Maharashtra are sans camouflaged.

The Overland Summit variant is powered by a 3.6-litre V6 engine that produces 294PS and 352Nm of torque. There is a smaller 3.0-litre engine in the US that offers a more efficient alternative, but it is not clear yet as to which of these power plants will finds its place on the India spec SUV.

On the feature front the Grand Cherokee comes equipped with adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning system, blind spot monitoring and front-park assist while riding on 20-inch aluminium wheels.

Currently believed to be on its final stages of tuning, the Jeep brand is expected to be unveiled to the Indian market close to mid-October. Expect the Grand Cherokee to be priced at around Rs 45-50 lakh (ex-showroom Delhi) considering the car takes the CBU route to India. Fiat may plan to locally assemble the Jeep variants in the future which will give them a better fight against its closest competitors, the Land Rover Freelander 2 and the Volvo XC90.

Source: Rushlane