[Thom Paré]

Segment: Subcompact crossover
New in 2020
This A-segment starter Jeep is mainly designed for Europe and markets outside the U.S., but it will be offered to dealers as a way to introduce the brand to younger customers. It should arrive in the U.S. in 2020.
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I've taken the above from Automotive News. I'm wondering why there hasn't been any discussion of this anywhere else whether here or any other outlet. Do we have any rumors on this? I didn't see an existing thread so I started this one.

 

[aldo90731]

Sorry, can’t find anything on a production Jeepster besides a Wrangler based concept shown at the Easter Safari.

 

[patfromigh]

IMO, A-segment is a FAIL in the US and Canada. The size might be OK in certain urban areas, like those found along the Acela corridor or Toronto, but on this side of the pond most drivers want the real deal. The demographic situation reveals that geezers like me are dying to give our Mopar vehicles away to the young.

The Fiat 500 two door lineup has gone back to Europe with its tail between its legs, and the Mini was fed growth hormones by BMW, but to no avail. Smart led the way with its electric drive model displacing the gas offerings. (Even that wasn't enough.) Going forward, the A-segment offerings in North America will be electric city cars.

Another thing is young people here can drive off-road vehicles such as the John Deere Gator and Polaris four wheelers. When they can afford a new vehicle purchase they will buy Wrangers.

 

[MJAB]

It will be, just my opinion, something more than 4 m long, the size of an european B segment vehicle.
I could guess that is nothing else that the big Panda rumored few years ago built on Small platform-architecture. For some markets it could be maybe built on a different platform/architecture to cut costs.

 

[v.b.]

Renegade is a big B-CUV. You can go 8 inches shorter and still be in B segment (4m, like MJAB said). A 2-door Renegade would be an interesting choice and cheaper to implement.

V

 

[JavelinAMX]

.

Would, perhaps, a shortened Cherokee - a' la the original 3-Door* 'Yota Rav4 - be workable in the USA?
{ Or even a shorty Compass } .

The Cherokee as an AWD or lighter duty "4-by" seems to have more of the Jeepness Quotient in it.

* [ Stick to the photos of the 1st Gen ... ] : Toyota RAV4 - Wikipedia (at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4 )

The 1st Gen 3-Door RAV is gone - that should tell me something - but is it worth revisiting this sort of thing?

.

 

[auric]

This has been mentioned before on allpar. Conversations about it never go on for very long. Possibly because it isn’t meant for the US. It is a twin of a fiat and will appear when that next generation of that comes out, maybe the panda? It was on the most recent 5 year plan.

 

[v.b.]

It is not very likely that a Jeep will come on Panda platform. Fiat needs a cost-effective (cheap) CUV smaller than 500x for Europe, it will be made in Serbian factory, which currently builds 500L.

The Jeep for Europe and, maybe, US will be a twin of that, a shortened Renegade.

 

[77 Monaco Brougham]

.

Would, perhaps, a shortened Cherokee - a' la the original 3-Door* 'Yota Rav4 - be workable in the USA?
{ Or even a shorty Compass } .

The Cherokee as an AWD or lighter duty "4-by" seems to have more of the Jeepness Quotient in it.

* [ Stick to the photos of the 1st Gen ... ] : Toyota RAV4 - Wikipedia (at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toyota_RAV4 )

The 1st Gen 3-Door RAV is gone - that should tell me something - but is it worth revisiting this sort of thing?

.

Just took a quick jump down Memory Lane by hitting the link for photos of the 1st generation RAV-4. When they first came out, I thought they were the cutest little SUV. In fact, this reminds me of something that I found annoying in the parking lot of a local supermarket today.

In the row in front of me, there was what I think was a 1st. generation Subaru Forrester....and....wouldn't you know it...a mere matter of seconds later, what appeared to be a brand new latest generation Subaru Forrester slowly crawled by my field of vision. It reminded me of my long-time bugaboo about how many cars start out being cute and small....and then....inevitably....each following generation proceeds to get a little bigger and a little uglier....until it becomes unrecognizable from the car it started out to be. And...the RAV-4 and Forrester are two great examples.

 

[Zagnut27]

I see plenty of opportunity for a smaller Jeep in the US:

 

[AlexB]

This has been mentioned before on allpar. Conversations about it never go on for very long. Possibly because it isn’t meant for the US. It is a twin of a fiat and will appear when that next generation of that comes out, maybe the panda? It was on the most recent 5 year plan.

Yeah, the "baby Jeep" in the 2022 plan is not for U.S., and will be "softer".

 

[JavelinAMX]

Just took a quick jump down Memory Lane by hitting the link for photos of the 1st generation RAV-4. When they first came out, I thought they were the cutest little SUV. In fact, this reminds me of something that I found annoying in the parking lot of a local supermarket today.

In the row in front of me, there was what I think was a 1st. generation Subaru Forrester....and....wouldn't you know it...a mere matter of seconds later, what appeared to be a brand new latest generation Subaru Forrester slowly crawled by my field of vision. It reminded me of my long-time bugaboo about how many cars start out being cute and small....and then....inevitably....each following generation proceeds to get a little bigger and a little uglier....until it becomes unrecognizable from the car it started out to be. And...the RAV-4 and Forrester are two great examples.

.

You have that pattern down cold ...

I thought of the RAV as too cute to be a Ute . I thought it was dress-up (not knowing that it wasn't intended to merely have a CUV facade ).

When that hit the streets, and before Kia was officially paired-up with Hyundai, I thought the then Kia Sportage was more of an SUV than was the RAV. I looked at those two from a distance, and thought " if that Kia company turns out anything that proves to be good, I hope it's that Sport-a-what's-It." Cute was kept more or less at arm's distance.

One last comment about Subaru ...

Notice over time how their focus has changed? The Legacy, then the Outback, the WRX going toe-to-toe with the Mitsu Evo, the short-termer Tribeca, the Forester ... today it remains the Forester. ( don't hold me to the order just offered ).

.

 

[77 Monaco Brougham]

.
Notice over time how their focus has changed? The Legacy, then the Outback, the WRX going toe-to-toe with the Mitsu Evo, the short-termer Tribeca, the Forester ... today it remains the Forester. ( don't hold me to the order just offered ).

Yes, but Subaru has the luxury of being able to be a bit scattered in focus. After all, they have a loyal (dare I say loving?) customer base who will follow them to the gates of Hades.

A luxury FCA could only dream of having.

 

[JavelinAMX]

Yes, but Subaru has the luxury of being able to be a bit scattered in focus. After all, they have a loyal

(dare I say loving?)

customer base who will follow them to the gates of Hades.

A luxury FCA could only dream of having.

.


** Rim Shot !! **


.

 

[12soldier]

Didn't we see a shot of it already as a suspension and powertrain mule. I believe it was disguised as a wrangler.

 

[Dave Z]

.

Notice over time how their focus has changed? The Legacy, then the Outback, the WRX going toe-to-toe with the Mitsu Evo, the short-termer Tribeca, the Forester ... today it remains the Forester. ( don't hold me to the order just offered ).

.

Mitsubishi, I believe, only sells hybrid crossovers in the US now... I might be wrong but it's their focus.