Developed on the basis of a chassis with spars and crossmembers, the Suzuki Jimmy has been successful with fans of off-road (and beyond) and has also prompted a question: where is the answer from Jeep, the brand synonymous with off-road? Well, looks like a baby Jeep is on its way.
The Renegade is currently the smallest Jeep for sale, only it is simply too big (4.24 m long) compared to the tiny Jimny (3.48 m). Furthermore, it has five doors, and its monoblock construction could not be more different from the spars and transoms of the Japanese proposal.
A new model below the Renegade is not a rumor now, but after the declarations made by the brand's Marketing Director in Europe, Marco Pigozzi, to Auto Express, we entered the field of certainties more decisively: “the car will be usable like a real Jeep but, at the same time, it will be practical to use on a daily basis”.
What to expect?
Although we have the Suzuki Jimny as a reference, the baby Jeep will still be substantially larger, with the length being a maximum of 4.0 m in length, according to Pigozzi.
Let's not forget that the little Jimny meets the strict criteria of Japanese kei cars, which limit the maximum dimensions (length and width) they can have — the international version, the one we have around here, exceeds these limits, thanks to bumpers bulkier and more pronounced track widths.
The 4.0 m length foreseen for the Jeep proposal also has a reason for being: India. Vehicles up to 4.0 m in length benefit from less taxes, making their purchase price much more attractive, with the baby-Jeep being a crucial model for the American brand to succeed in this market.
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As for the possible launch date, Auto Express points to 2022, in line with the plans announced in 2018 by Jeep itself, but which did not advance with a specific date for the new model.
However, taking into account that by that time all models of the North American brand will have electrified versions, this means that the baby-jeep will also be electrified. Regarding this possibility, Pigozzi limited himself to saying “We have the capacity to carry out the necessary electrification”, not clarifying whether this will be a hybrid, plug-in hybrid or a 100% electric model.
What will the platform be?
The big question that arises when talking about the baby-Jeep is related to the platform it will use, and in this field there is no lack of hypotheses.
The first is that the baby-Jeep will use a “stretched” version of the Fiat Panda platform, known simply as the Mini. After all, it is capable of receiving all-wheel drive (crucial to maintaining the model's off-road capabilities) — will we see another evolution of this base by Jeep?
Another is that it will be based on a shortened version of the Renegade platform, the Small Wide 4×4. As you know, it can be electrified (the Renegade PHEV proves it) and it also supports all-wheel drive systems.
But there are more options. With PSA/FCA merger confirmed , the baby-Jeep can even use the CMP platform. This can be electrified (it's the basis of several 100% electric models), and to have all-wheel drive it would be enough to install… an electric motor on the rear axle.
Finally, the least likely (but not disposable) hypothesis is that this model will receive a new platform that Jeep may be developing.
Anyway, one thing is (almost) certain: despite being compact, the future baby-Jeep will hardly be a direct rival to the Suzuki Jimny.
Source: Auto Express