The Jeep Meridian will come with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine with nine-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission options.
Zip Meridian. (Photo: Zip)
Jeep India, part of the autonomous group Stellantis, launched its new SUV Meridian on Tuesday and will begin delivery in June 2022. Meridian is the company’s first three-row SUV designed and engineered specifically for India. It will come with a 2.0-liter turbo diesel engine with nine-speed automatic and six-speed manual transmission options, the company said.
The seven-seater Meridian is one of three new products launched this year in India with the Grand Cherokee and the Compass TrailHawk. The company launched the Compass TrailHawk in February at a starting price of Rs 30.72 lakh (ex-showroom). Roland Bochara, CEO and Managing Director of Stalantis India, said that these would be manufactured from the company’s Ranjangaon plant in Maharashtra and showed the company’s commitment to the Indian market.
Zip Meridian. (Photo: Zip)
In a virtual conference, he said that in the last two years, the company has invested USD 250 million in developing five products for the Indian market, including Wrangler and Compass. He said the company sees India as an export hub and the Meridian will also be exporting to Asia-Pacific countries, including Japan and South Korea, as it is doing for the Compass model.
When asked about sales expectations from Meridian, Buchara said it is difficult to predict that “Covid is still not behind us.” However, he said the model would become a key player in the premium SUV segment, which is currently dominated by Toyota Fortuner. Commenting on the EV strategy for India, Bochara said the development of the Stalantis market is closely followed. Last year, Stellantis announced plans to invest more than 30 30 billion by 2025 to electrify its car lineup worldwide.