Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has said it has shipped its started shipping made-in-India Compass models of its SUV Jeep which will soon arrive in Australia.
FCA launched it’s popular SUV model in India three months ago.
The first batch of 600 made-in-India Jeep vehicles that the FCA says, were manufactured with over 65 per cent locally made components, was dispatched from Mumbai.
“Soon, our Made-in-India Jeep Compass will be seen on the roads in Australia and Japan, our first two right-hand drive export destinations. This is indeed a historic milestone for all of us at FIAPL,” Fiat India’s Chief Executive Officer Gurpratap Boparai said.
“Our resolve has been to ensure timely delivery of a world-class product, made in India, to Indian as well as our International customers. We had planned to start shipping the India-made Jeep Compass in the fourth quarter of this calendar year,” he added.
Fiat set up a vehicle manufacturing facility in Ranjangaon in Pune in Maharashtra in a joint venture with the Indian vehicle manufacturer Tata. The plant recently had an injection of $280 million to establish an assembly line for Jeep Compass.
Apart from selling Jeep in India where the vehicle has been introduced just this year, FCA says it will have a strong focus on exporting the units manufactured in India.
Some well-known Indian car manufacturers, such as Tata and Mahindra already have their presence in Australia, albeit with limited success.
Apart from Australia, the first batch of India-manufactured Jeep will also be hitting the roads in Japan.
