Pix: The stunning Jeep Meridian is here!

Jeep India, a part of automotive group Stellantis, on Tuesday announced the opening of bookings for its upcoming SUV Meridian, the production of which has also commenced from its joint venture manufacturing facility at Ranjangaon, Maharashtra.

Customers can book the Meridian either at Jeep India dealership network or through the company's website with a down payment of Rs 50,000.

Deliveries of the vehicle will start in June, it said in a statement.

Jeep India said it has also started production of the all-new Meridian from Ranjangaon facility, a joint venture manufacturing plant with Tata Motors.

The three-row seven seater SUV is powered by a 2-litre turbo diesel engine with options of six-speed manual and nine-speed automatic gearbox transmissions.

It would offer options of forward wheel drive and all wheel drive configurations, the company said.

"The Jeep Meridian is the third new model manufactured in India since 2021 as part of Jeep's product offensive.

"A demonstration of the company's commitment to the domestic market, the Jeep Meridian will feature up to 82 per cent localisation and has been specially designed, engineered, and tuned for Indian road conditions keeping in mind the refinement expected by customers in the segment," Stellantis India CEO and managing director Roland Bouchara said.

The duality of sophistication and capability represented by the all-new Jeep Meridian has the potential to disrupt the premium SUV segment, he added.

The Jeep Meridian is expected to play in the premium SUV segment which is currently dominated by Toyota Fortuner.

The vehicle is based on the group's SW Architecture and inspired by the globally popular Grand Cherokee, Jeep India said.

The Meridian has been subjected to rigorous testing of over 10 lakh km to ensure its durability and consistent performance, head of Jeep Brand India Nipun J Mahajan said.

"The Jeep Meridian is an ideal mix of adventure and sophistication that will be evidenced via many segment-first features and its refined abilities both on and off-road," he added.

Photographs: Kind courtesy, Jeep India