Fiat is planning to expand its range of car models in India by roping in Chrysler’s range of cars and some of its premium brands such as the Alfa Romeo and the Maserati. Chrysler has been studying the Indian market to understand the viability of launching the Jeep Grand Cherokee which if launched may lie in the price segment of the Toyota Fortuner and the Chevrolet Captiva.
Fiat acquired a majority share in the American car manufacturer Chrysler in 2009 and is therefore planning to use Chrysler’s cars to make inroads into different segments of the Indian market. Moreover, the plans to launch new vehicles in India may altogether be separate from the Fiat India operations which are part of the joint venture between Fiat and Indian major Tata Motors.
According to a company source, Fiat plans on bringing in the Chrysler’s Jeep as completely knocked down units (CKD) and conduct the assembly of the SUV at the Tata-Fiat manufacturing plant at Ranjangaon near Pune on a contract basis. For its own global brands of luxury cars, the company will take the completely built unit (CBU) route.
