Jeep Sets Big Plans for Smallest Model

OAK BROOK, IL – Jeep is counting on its smallest vehicle to do some heavy lifting.

“We want the 2015 Renegade to attract a new generation of Jeep owners,” Becky Blanchard, Jeep brand manager, says at a recent preview of the all-new compact SUV for the Midwest Automotive Media Assn.

“We’re looking for young as well as older buyers on a fixed budget, but the core buyer we’re looking to attract is the first-time buyer who will start with our smallest, lowest-priced model and stay in the family as he works his way up through the Jeep lineup over time,” Blanchard says.

The new faces Jeep hopes to win over when Renegade goes on sale at the end of this year are those who normally would buy a small car, especially a hatchback, she says.

“Renegade offers the room and utility of a hatchback car, and with the added security of 4-wheel drive, you can escape the city when looking for adventure,” Blanchard adds.

Rivals will be the Nissan Juke, Buick Encore and the upcoming Chevy Trax that will bow for ’15, as well as the Kia Soul, though “Soul doesn't offer 4WD like Renegade does,” she notes. This segment should account for annual sales of about 2 million units worldwide, about 500,000 of those in the U.S. Jeep does not disclose production or sales targets.

The larger midsize Honda CR-V, Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4 don't compete with Renegade, Blanchard says.

Positioned Below Patriot

As for size, the compact Renegade is 7 ins. (178 mm) shorter than a midsize Jeep Patriot or “longer than a Jeep Wrangler 2-door, but smaller than a Wrangler 4-door,” she says.

There's no price yet, though Blanchard says it not only will be the smallest Jeep offering, but also the lowest-priced entry-level Jeep as well, starting “under $20,000.”

But it isn’t going to be a spartan machine, as its features include blindspot and lane-departure warning, a backup camera, heated seats and manual or power glass roof with removable panels for open-air motoring.

“With Renegade we’re going to show that small doesn’t have to mean it can’t be a premium model like the Jeep Grand Cherokee,” Blanchard says.

“People have told us they want a more efficient size-package that’s easy to maneuver and park, while having enough room to hold people and their stuff. That’s what we have with Renegade. And with 4WD and removable glass roof panels, we’ll be the only one in the segment offering off-road as well as open-top motoring.”

Renegade will offer a choice of 1.4L turbocharged or 2.4L naturally aspirated 4-cyl. engines. The turbo will offer a 6-speed manual transmission, while the 2.4L is mated to Chrysler’s 9-speed automatic, which Jeep believes will net 30 mpg (7.8 L/100 km) highway.

Blanchard doesn’t elaborate on marketing plans other than to say the Renegade will use social media to get out its message, though social media will be only one means of doing so.

“We’ll talk more about it closer to the end of the year launch,” she says.

A December rollout of the new vehicle means half the country could have a layer of snow on the ground by then.

“December traditionally is always a good sales month for 4WD Jeeps,” Blanchard notes.

Blanchard says Jeep dealers “are excited” about the Renegade “because they’re getting a vehicle in a new segment for them to play in.”

As a new entry in a new segment, Blanchard says conquest sales from other brands should be relatively high.

In addition to being the smallest, lowest-priced Jeep, the Renegade has one other distinction. It’s built on a new small-vehicle platform meant for the worldwide market that was created in cooperation with Fiat and will be built in Italy and shipped to the U.S. for sale, making it the first and only Jeep import sold in the U.S.