SHANGHAI -- Jeep is flexing its green and connectivity chops
at the Shanghai auto show with a luxury seven-seat plug-in hybrid SUV.
The Jeep Yuntu -- Chinese for
cloud -- was designed by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for its China joint venture,
GAC FCA. China is a key market for Jeep, which was one of the first Western
brands to establish a manufacturing beachhead here through a joint venture,
Beijing Jeep, in the mid-1980s.
FCA, in a statement, suggested
the Yuntu could inspire a new flagship for Jeep in China.
"SUVs are the
fastest-growing segment in China," FCA said in a statement, "and the
Jeep Yuntu Concept showcases the potential for the Jeep brand to keep expanding
in the country."
While Jeep says the Yuntu was
designed only for China, where government incentives are spurring more
automakers and consumers to embrace electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids, some
media reports speculate the concept could also preview styling cues for the
next-generation Grand Cherokee or even the Grand Wagoneer, which FCA plans to
revive.
The Yuntu can drive for up to
65 kilometers (40.4 miles) powered by batteries only. The batteries can be
recharged wirelessly, FCA said, and the vehicle has connectivity features such
as facial and voice recognition.
“From 2018, Yuntu’s design
features will be reflected in the new models of GAC FCA, from fossil fuel to
alternative-energy vehicles,” Daphne Zheng, Jeep’s sales chief in China, said
in introducing the vehicle.
GAC FCA was established in
2010 as a 50-50 partnership between FCA and state-owned Chinese automaker
Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. It started building Jeeps in 2015.
Combined sales of three
locally produced models -- the Cherokee, Renegade and Compass -- approached
50,000 vehicles in the first quarter, an increase of 110 percent from a year
earlier, according to the joint venture.
GAC FCA also imports two Jeep
models, the Grand Cherokee and the Wrangler.