On April 18, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV began production of the Jeep Renegade in China, the largest Jeep market outside the United States. The compact sports utility vehicles (SUV) will cater to these Chinese and Asia-Pacific market.
“Today is an important step in our strategy to expand the Jeep brand’s global presence and, equally important, it represents a further strengthening of the joint enterprise with our respected and valuable partner here in China, the GAC Group,” stated Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne.
The Jeep Renegades are being built at the GAC FA Guangzhou plant, just six months after Fiat Chrysler also began making theJeep Cherokee in the same facility. The Guangzhou plant is the third to make the Jeep Renegade, following those in Italy and Brazil.In 2013, only 798,000 Jeep models were manufactured in four plants in the United States.
Leftlane News states that the Guangzhou plant is being operated through a joint venture. The plant is reportedly based on the FCA’s “World Class Manufacturing” concept. There are four workshops for various process like welding, stamping, painting and general assembly. The facility also features a dedicated quality assurance center.
According to Detroit News, Zhang Fangyou, Guangzhou Automobile Industry Group Co. chairman, stated that the GAC FCA Guangzhou plant possesses several advantages in terms of management, product and technology. The plant will certainly boost the development of the GAC Group, as well as the entire automotive industry in Guangdong Province in China.
China will be a vital part of Jeep’s continuous worldwide expansion through 2018. The company is preparing to make 1.9 million Jeeps in the next two years at 10 plants located across six countries, namely the United States, China, Italy, India, Brazil and the sixth, which has yet to be announced.
At present, Jeep has established and maintained itself as one of the strongest plays in the American market. The company has enjoyed loyal customers and huge sales because of the large popularity of SUVs and crossover models. Fiat Chrysler promised that they will expand local manufacturing while the brand continues to spread its presence throughout the world. China, being the biggest automotive market in the world, is very important to FCA and Jeep. In 2015, the company claimed that Jeep sales increased by almost 50 percent in the country for 2014.
More updates and details on the Jeep Renegade models in China are expected soon.
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