[Jeepers]

Jeep is in the midst of an international expansion, and part of that expansion means opening up a brand new factory in Brazil. This will be a great asset in the brand's push to expand further into South America.

The factory is already producing Renegades for the continent, and it is capable of building up to 250,000 Jeeps annually. It will employ 3,300 people by the end of the year with another 4,900 working at the adjacent supplier park.

Jeep really seems like a brand that would appeal to the tastes of South America, so now that their vehicles can be priced more competitively because of domestic production, expect Jeep to really take off in South America.

"Today we are not just celebrating the opening of an industrial complex, or a brand or product," FCA CEO Sergion Marchionne said in a statement. "We are celebrating the spirit of Pernambuco and its people. Without them this extraordinary and ambitious project would not have been possible."

http://www.freep.com/story/money/bu...t-pernambuco-renegade-fiat-chrysler/26518489/

 

[Leonidasthesnake]

so at what point does out custom Renegades get made there instead of Italy. Would that make it cheaper or would it just make it potentially faster.

 

[Foobar]

so at what point does out custom Renegades get made there instead of Italy. Would that make it cheaper or would it just make it potentially faster.

Depending on how their line is tooled, it may never come out of there. For example, if the Jeep Renegade for South America doesn't need to conform to the same safety and emissions requirements as those for North America, but the ones for Europe do, they may as well just keep them coming out of Italy rather than Brazil.


Just an example of course, I don't know the specifics for this model.

 

[Jeepers]

I think it wouldn't speed things up too much to build Renegades in Brazil for NA. The main benefit is for Jeep to be able to lower their prices in Brazil now that they don't have to deal with the tariffs.

 

[Jeepers]

This is a pretty big deal for Brazil. You can tell since the Brazilian President Dilma Rouseff dropped by the factory.

 

[ChickenBoy]

HID lights...

 

[lucaskta]

updates from Brazil

Hi there...Just to give you more piece of information from Brazil...

the SUV Brazil market is the real deal of Jeep here. It is an open market, with only two small-mid SUV options available from Ford and Renault. Actually, other brands are also anxious to deep into this, like Honda with its new HRV SUV. The main benefit to produce the renegades here comes from the costs and the fact that FIAT is the brand leader in sales in Brazil with its Minas Gerais located plant. The new plant located in countryside of Pernambuco state comes with lower costs than Minas Gerais plant specially because of its cheaper workforce.

FCA is now saying that two more models are in design to be produced at this plant: a mid term pickup with Fiat brand and another one that I forgot now. Both, they say, to local market and maybe for other south america countries and other locations, but in my opinion, not to NA.

From the renegade specifications, just to let you know, they are selling 3 versions here: Sport, Longitude and Trailhawk. All versions can be fit with 1.8 Flex Fuel Engine + 6 manual gear or 2.0 Diesel + 9 gear AT, except for the Trailhawk version with is available only with 2.0 diesel + 9 AT gearbox. The diesel engine is the same of Italy or Canada versions (not sure for US). The flex fuel engine is set to run with gasoline or ethanol in any proportion.

I think it wouldn't speed things up too much to build Renegades in Brazil for NA. The main benefit is for Jeep to be able to lower their prices in Brazil now that they don't have to deal with the tariffs.

 

[fmunk]

Brazil gets HID and the US doesn't. What the **** is Jeep thinking.