After decades of absence from the Thai market, Jeep is back with a new distributor and new products.
Jeep sales in Thailand will be carried out via Belfort Automobile, a subsidiary of Master Group Corporation, which was recently appointed the official Jeep distributor for Thailand by the Stellantis Group.
The first Jeep model to be offered to Thai customers is the Wrangler Rubicon, imported in CBU form and available in both two and four-door variants. Other Jeep models are also being considered for the Thai market, including the Gladiator produced in India.
The Stellantis Group, which owns 14 auto brands including Jeep, is also studying possibilities of assembling Jeep models in Southeast Asia. It already has a production facility in Malaysia and Vietnam that could be utilised, but is also considering Thailand as a potential production venue.
Prices for the Wrangler Rubicon start at 5.19 million baht, and Belfort Automobile says customers will get further discounts on accessories, as well as three-year free maintenance and roadside assistance, plus a three-year/100,000km warranty.
Among the design highlights of the Jeep Wrangler are the iconic round LED headlamps, seven-slot keystone grille, high-clearance trapezoid fender flares, removable doors, exposed hinges, a fold-down windshield and removable top.
The Wrangler line-up is available with a range of engines, including a 6.4-litre V8, 3.0-litre mild-hybrid, 2.0-litre plugin hybrid, 3.0-litre diesel and turbocharged 2.0-litre petrol engine offered in the Thai-spec Wrangler Rubicon. The four-pot direct-injection turbo engine, with aluminium block and aluminium alloy heads, is capable of pumping out 270hp at 5,250rpm and 400Nm of torque at 3,000rpm and is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission.
According to Jeep, the 2022 Wrangler Rubicon continues to offer a body-on-frame design and front/rear five-link suspension system. The two-door version has a wheelbase of 2,460mm compared to 3,008mm for the four-door variant.
Off-roading highlights include Dana 44 front and rear heavy-duty axles, enhanced off-road rock rails and rock-trac NV241 two-speed transfer case with a 4:1 low-range gear ratio. There are electric front and rear locking differentials, a disconnecting front sway bar and 32-inch BF Goodrich mud tyres. The Wrangler Rubicon also gets high-pressure gas-charged monotube shock absorbers with MTV technology and a hydraulic rebound stop.
The cabin features bucket seats with leather upholstery and analogue meters with a multi-information digital display that shows engine status as well as vital off-roading information. A fourth-generation Uconnect system includes Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a 21.3cm touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability, plus an audio system with nine Alpine speakers.
There are also intelligent safety features such as blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-path detection, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning.
Last year, Jeep sales in the Asia-Pacific grew by 33% to 47,000 units, with major markets being Australia, Japan and South Korea.
Carl Smiley, CEO for India & Asia Pacific of the Stellantis Group, told reporters at the Jeep launch in Thailand earlier this year that for Southeast Asian markets, Jeep wants to double market growth in the next few years.
"Whatever rate the market is growing, we want to double that," he said.
Jeep plans to have five showrooms in Thailand by 2023, with facilities to be shared with Peugeot, another Stellantis brand distributed in the Kingdom by Belfort Automobile.
The first Jeep showroom located on Sukhumvit Road is currently under construction and will be operational later this year.
