At its 2026 Investor Day, Stellantis Group, the parent company of Jeep, announced that it will launch a new SUV through its joint venture (JV) with Tata Motors.

The move is part of the company's strategy to use India as a low-cost manufacturing and export hub for future new energy vehicles. The SUV is scheduled for launch in 2028 and will be developed on a Tata Motors platform, with production and assembly in India through the Stellantis-Tata JV. The vehicle is also expected to be exported to around 50 countries.

According to Gregoire Olivier, Head of the Asia Pacific region at Stellantis, Tata Motors has been a partner for more than 20 years and will provide a platform for the development of the new Jeep model. He stated that the upcoming SUV is one of five globally oriented products being developed by Stellantis in Asia through local partnerships and cost-efficient engineering ecosystems. Olivier added that the India-developed Jeep project is intended to support an "asset light" operating structure while maintaining global competitiveness.

While the exact platform has not been officially confirmed, it is expected to be based on Tata's ARGOS architecture, used for the Tata Sierra. The platform supports all-wheel drive capability, which is a core requirement for Jeep, and also enables electrification, making it suitable for future mobility requirements. The company had earlier announced a new SUV for India in 2027 under its 2.0 strategy.

Stellantis stated that the collaboration with Tata Motors will enable manufacturing, technology and sourcing synergies through the existing JV for both the Indian market and export programmes. The partnership builds on a long-standing relationship that also includes Fiat engine manufacturing at Tata's Ranjangaon facility. The Tata collaboration provides access to India's engineering scale, supply chains and lower-cost production structures that are more difficult to replicate in Europe or North America.

According to Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, the Tata partnership will support product development in India while enabling exports to the Asia-Pacific region, the Middle East, Africa and South America through integrated manufacturing and supply chain arrangements. He added that India is expected to play a central role in Stellantis' next phase of global growth.

Filosa also stated that the global automotive industry is becoming increasingly fragmented across regions, technologies and customer preferences, driven by five key factors: regional fragmentation, rising Chinese competition, increasing cost pressures, uneven electrification and the growing importance of technology and artificial intelligence. He said this shift is shaping Stellantis' broader global restructuring strategy.

India is positioned as a product development and export hub for Jeep and Citroen, in addition to being a sales market.

Stellantis currently operates in India through Jeep and Citroen, both of which have faced challenges in scaling volumes in a highly competitive and price-sensitive environment. With more empowered regional operations, the company aims to align its India strategy more closely with local conditions.

The India-developed Jeep SUV forms part of Stellantis' broader Asia-Pacific strategy, which relies on partnerships rather than standalone manufacturing investments. Olivier stated that Stellantis plans to export vehicles developed in India and China to more than 50 countries worldwide, with combined vehicle and model sales from these programmes projected to exceed EUR 60 billion (US$ 69.69 billion) over the next five years. He also stated that Stellantis aims to sell 100,000 "localised cars" globally by 2028 through its Tata and Dongfeng partnerships, with further growth expected thereafter.

A major pillar of Stellantis' Asia strategy is its collaboration with Chinese EV manufacturer Leapmotor, in which the company holds nearly a 20 per cent stake. Through Leapmotor International, a joint venture in which Stellantis holds a 51 per cent stake, the group has exclusive rights to sell Leapmotor vehicles outside China. Leapmotor sold around 600,000 battery electric vehicles in 2025, making it the world's sixth-largest BEV manufacturer. Stellantis plans to sell 180,000 Leapmotor EVs internationally next year, using China's cost advantages to expand in price-sensitive markets.

Alongside this, Stellantis continues its long-standing partnership with Dongfeng Motor Corporation. The two companies are developing and manufacturing two Jeep models and two Peugeot models in China through their DPCA joint venture, and are also exploring additional EV-focused collaborations. These partnerships, along with Tata, form the backbone of Stellantis' localisation-led global strategy.

The Citroën small car programme in India also reflects the company's focus on locally developed compact vehicles intended for global markets. Stellantis considers India- and China-developed models part of its strategy to support demand for cost-efficient mobility solutions.

According to Olivier, Stellantis expects combined global vehicle sales from these localisation programmes to generate long-term value, while also supporting an "asset light" operating model and increased agility in competitive markets.

As part of its "Fastlane 2030" strategy, Stellantis is restructuring its global operations around six pillars: portfolio management, capital allocation toward new technologies, partnerships, manufacturing footprint optimisation, execution discipline and regional operations.

The company currently sells Jeep models such as the Compass, Meridian, Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in India, but continues to face challenges in scaling volumes in a highly competitive market. Through its expanded partnership ecosystem and India-focused manufacturing strategy, Stellantis aims to strengthen its position in both India and global export markets through locally developed, cost-efficient platforms.