Jeep has set its sights on improving its sales volume in the European car market more than five-fold in the next three years through the introduction of three new models, the expansion of its dealer network and to a lesser extent, by completing a football (soccer) sponsorship deal, reports Autonews Europe.
In 2011, Jeep sold 23,745 units in Europe, up 62 percent from the previous year, while in the first four months of 2012, the Chrysler Group company delivered 9,807 units.
“Our current goal is 30,000 European sales this year, but it is hard to predict how the market may perform for the remainder of the year,” Jeep Europe Marketing Director Yann Chabert told journalists at the European premiere of the Grand Cherokee SRT.
Under the sales plan, Jeep wants to deliver some 125,000 vehicles in Europe by 2015, and 800,000 cars worldwide in 2014, up from 592,000 last year.
A key element to achieving this goal will be the launch of three new fuel-efficient SUVs.
These include the company’s first sub-compact SUV measuring about 4.2 meters long and based on the underpinnings of the upcoming Fiat 500X small crossover that will probably be built at Fiat’s Mirafiori plant in Italy.
The other two models are a replacement for the Cherokee (called Liberty in North America) that will be offered with a Fiat Group 2.0-liter turbo diesel, and a common successor to the Compass and Patriot compact models.
Jeep has also secured a three-year long sponsorship of the famed Juventus football club, which is owned by the Agnelli family that controls the Fiat Group, while Jeep will continue to expand its European network, from 518 dealerships today to around 650 by 2014.
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