Jeep® Will Unveil It’s New Meridian D-SUV For India On March 22nd!

The 2022 Jeep® Commander (H1) continues to be a success for the Jeep brand in Brazil. The Commander is a premium three-row D-SUV, that has been designed to be more suited for countries where vehicles like the Cherokee (KL) and Grand Cherokee (WL) might be slow sellers. Based on the Small Wide 4×4 LWB architecture that underpins the popular global Compass, the Commander was designed by the Stellantis LATAM design studio with the help of the Jeep design studio in Auburn Hills, Michigan.

Jeep has launched the Commander in the Brazilian market, and most recently in the Argentine marketplace. But a second global plant will start production in Pune, Maharashtra, India later this year. Named the 2023 Jeep Meridian (H6), it will be a virtual clone for the Brazilian-built Commander. However, it will be built in a right-hand-drive (RHD) configuration. 

But why the name change? Jeep could not secure the rights to the Commander name, due to it already being trademarked by Mahindra. 

The Meridian will go up against some fierce competition in the Indian marketplace, like the Toyota Fortuner, Ford Endeavour, Mahindra Alturas G4, and VW Tiguan Allspace.

Jeep will sell the Meridian will only one powertrain in India. The 2.0-liter Multijet II turbodiesel inline-four-cylinder (also called the TD380 in Brazil). The diesel makes 168 horsepower (125 kW) and 280 lb.-ft. (380 N⋅m) of torque. The Multijet II is mated to a ZF-sourced 9-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment. Power will be sent to all four wheels, thanks to a standard Jeep Active Drive four-wheel-drive (4×4) system.

While that might all be redundant information, our good friends at AutoCar India have told us that the Meridian will be unveiled on March 29th, 2022. It is then expected to officially go on sale in May. It is expected to sell for around Rs 30 lakh to 35 lakh or about $39,850 to $46,500 USD.