Deep Drive - Inside Stellantis-Tata Motors partnership for Jeep SUV

In an exclusive conversation, Autocar India Editor Hormazd Sorabjee and Managing Editor Ketan Thakkar discuss what Stellantis' latest announcement means for both Jeep and Tata Motors. At its 2026 Investor Day, Stellantis announced that Jeep will launch a new SUV through its joint venture with Tata Motors, with the model due in 2028 and targeted for export to more than 50 countries. The announcement marks a shift in how the company views India — from a sales market to a base for global product development and export.

While Stellantis has not officially confirmed the platform, industry reports indicate the SUV could use Tata Motors' ARGOS architecture, which underpins the Tata Sierra and supports all-wheel drive and electrified powertrains.

Stellantis CEO Antonio Filos said the partnership would strengthen the company's product lineup in India while supporting exports to Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, Africa, and South America. Gregoire Olivier, head of Asia Pacific at Stellantis, said the project would help the company remain "asset light" while improving global competitiveness, and that Stellantis targets sales of 100,000 localised vehicles globally by 2028 through its Tata and Dongfeng partnerships.

The Ranjangaon plant near Pune, operated jointly by the two companies, has produced more than 1.37 million vehicles since the venture began and currently manufactures four Jeep models alongside three Tata passenger vehicles. Stellantis has faced challenges scaling volumes in India's competitive and price-sensitive market, and the new model is seen as a way to address that while serving broader export ambitions.

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