Jeep Claims Top Spot in TRA’s Most Trusted Automobile Brand in India

Jeep has recently been chosen as the most trusted auto brand of the country by TRA. The brand also managed to claim the second spot in the overall brand category list. Thus beating several leading brand of the country to the race. Meanwhile, the first spot was claimed by Dell and on the third spot in the overall list was India’s insurance giant LIC. As far the auto sector is concerned, right behind Jeep was the largest automaker of India – Maruti Suzuki. 

To put things into perspective, FCA owned Jeep made its entry into the Indian market only in 2016, mere three years ago. Meanwhile, all the other brands on the list – even the overall list – have been in the country for far long time than Jeep has.

Elated at the achievement, the president and MD of FCA India, Kevin Flynn, released a statement that read,

“The investment and effort put into our brand in India is paying off. The Brand Trust Report ranking is a validation of our strategy to link Jeep and its heritage to freedom, adventure, authenticity and passion. The commitment and passion with which we have nurtured customer and business relationships have helped forge extraordinary bonds between the brand and the vehicle owners. The deep trust in the Jeep brand has resulted in strong bonds that have nurtured us. Not only has Jeep come to represent a way of life articulated by our ‘Go Anywhere. Do Anything’ motto, it has become a part of the Jeep owner’s identity. Jeep is an experiential brand globally and we believe in setting the stage for our customers and fans to experience the Jeep Life.”

Even the portfolio that Jeep has in the market is not that big and the best seller from the brand is the Compass SUV, the one vehicle it entered India with. Jeep makes Compass in India and exports it the world over from here. Compass locks horns with the likes of Tata Harrier, Mahindra XUV500, and recently launched MG Hector. The upcoming Kia Seltos will also give the Compass a tough time in the market. Other models from the brand in the Indian market like the Wrangler, Cherokee and the Grand Cherokee are all imported in the country via the CBU route and come with a hefty price tag.

The US maker is planning on bringing out diesel automatic versions of Compass during the festive season this year. Till now the brand only offered the automatic transmission with the petrol variants of the Compass. The lone diesel option with automatic gearbox in the Compass line-up is the recently launched TrailHawk variant which costs around Rs. 30 lakh and caters to a different segment of customers.

It is also a good move by the brand as introduction of automatic gearbox on the higher diesel trims of Compass will only end up pushing the prices of the variants. Also, the launch of a lot of feature loaded rivals will surely dent Compass’s share in the market pie. Therefore, giving the customers the option of an automatic gearbox with diesel engine around the time of high sales is a good move.