Jeep will build three models in China: the Jeep Cherokee, the Jeep Renegade, and the Jeep Compass. All will be manufactured by the Guangzhou-Fiat joint venture. Production of the Cherokee will start late next year, which is a bit later than previously expected.
Production of the Renegade and Compass will start sometime in 2016. The Cherokee will be manufactured in the existing factory in the city of Changsha in Hunan Province. This factory also manufactures the Fiat Viaggio and the Fiat Ottimo, which are based on the same platform as the Jeep Cherokee, and the Dodge Dart.
The Jeep Renegade and Jeep Compass will be manufactured in a new factory in the city of Guangzhou in Guangdong Province. Total Jeep capacity in China is scheduled to reach 150.000 cars a year by 2018.
The Cherokee and Compass are currently imported into China, and the Renegade will join the line-up late this year. Import will continue until local production starts. The locally made variants will be about 25% cheaper than the imports, which will give the Jeep brand a much larger customer base in China.
