BEIJING MOTOR SHOW: Jeep's concept quartet

The wraps have come off four Jeep concepts at the 2014 Beijing motor show, as part of the company's first overseas manufacturing venture.

In reality, the four 'concepts' are merely dressed up versions of the new Renegade, Cherokee and Wrangler, but as Jeep's global brand boss and head of Asia pacific for Fiat Chrysler Automobile (FCA) Mike Manley told motoring.com.au, the real story is that China will begin manufacturing Jeeps soon.

This will mark the first time Jeeps have been built outside the USA.

"Jeep is the fastest growing imported brand in China and this is our largest Jeep market outside the US," said Manley.

Perhaps the most intriguing concept at the Jeep exhibit in Beijing is the Zi You Xia Design Concept, which is based on the all-new Jeep Renegade compact SUV.

According to Jeep, the phrase Zi You Xia means 'rebel' and the small sedan is finished in chocolate and bronze hues, riding on large dark anodized 20-inch alloy wheels.

Expected to be a crucial cash-cow in the near future, potentially overtaking the Cherokee in sales volumes, the Chinese market will be vitally important for the Renegade's success.

Manley told motoring.com.au that the Renegade would become Jeep's best-selling model in due course, and that Chinese demand would be strong. He also confirmed a new Chinese manufacturing venture, to improve the supply of Jeep vehicles.

"We've not had the opportunity to expand our footprint to take advantage of our brand awareness in China, so this move we've talked about for some time, and will now come to fruition, for us is really a building block to achieving volume and brand status we should get to and rightly deserve," said the Jeep supremo.

"We've been solely a North American brand, exporting North American vehicles into some of the fastest growing markets in the world. We will be able to compete in a different way going forward. I'm looking forward to it," he said.

The other Jeep design concepts shown in Beijing include the Jeep Wrangler Sundancer, which adds "premium luxury" touches to the rugged off-roader, and two Cherokee designs, the Sageland and Urbane.

The former design channels the Shangri-La region for its colour palette while the latter is a reflection of the night-life in Chinese megacity.

"It makes sense for us to use this year’s Beijing motor show as a platform to explore how consumers react to these new Chinese-inspired ideas that may find their way into future production vehicles," said Manley.