Jeep Compass diesel automatic to launch in India in Q4 2019

- The Jeep Compass diesel automatic will be launched during the festive period.

- The nine-speed automatic will be offered with a BS-VI compliant diesel engine.

Jeep India launched the Compass Trailhawk in India, which comes with a nine-speed automatic gearbox. The company is now set to introduce the same engine/gearbox combination on other variants of the Jeep Compass. The launch is expected to take place during the festive period (October-November 2019).

According to the source, the diesel automatic will be offered in the higher-spec Limited and Limited Plus variants as both these are the highest selling versions of the Compass. The Compass could get a diesel automatic in the lower-spec Longitude and Sport Plus trims, but there’s no confirmation on this.

The ZF-sourced nine-speed automatic gearbox will be offered with a BS-VI compliant 2.0L diesel engine. Jeep India introduced the automatic gearbox on the top-of-the-line Compass Trailhawk version in June. However, at Rs 3.70 lakhs over the corresponding manual trim, the Compass Trailhawk is proving to be an expensive alternative.

By offering a diesel automatic in the lower trims, Jeep India will be able to cater to a wide spectrum of buyers who want an automatic but don’t want to invest in a hardcore off-road spec Trailhawk version. The diesel automatic will also help the Compass to rival against the automatic versions of the Mahindra XUV500 and the Hyundai Tucson.