New Jeep Compass for NY motor show

The head honcho at Jeep has finally confirmed what we all expected: the ageing Patriot and Compass SUVs – which occupy the same segment – will be mashed together into one new model, simplifying the range.

Jeep's global boss, Mike Manley, told The Detroit News the all-new model, a small SUV roughly the same size as the Nissan QASHQAI or Volkswagen Tiguan, will be launched at the 2016 New York motor show in late March, just before Easter.

"We've got two very good names, two well-established names with Compass and Patriot that continue to perform very well," Manley told The Detroit News.

"It will be one of those names — which one, we're going to have to wait and see."

It is motoring.com.au's understanding the new model will wear the Compass name, to appeal to an international audience outside of the US, as the company seeks to encourage global growth.

Jeep's global annual sales continue to set records, with 1.23 million cars finding homes in 2015, the highest figure in its 75-year history. It also marks the fourth consecutive year of growth for the company, easily beating 2014's tally of 1.01 million cars.

Jeep is confident the all-new Compass will bolster the brand's global reach, although Australian Jeep sales slid by almost 20 per cent in 2015 to 24,418 units, down from 30,408 in 2014.

Andrew Chesterton, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia's Senior Manager of Corporate Communication.s wouldn't officially confirm the new Compass but hinted it would be a likely replacement for both the current Compass and Patriot models in due course.

"While I can't confirm anything about a next-generation Compass, I can confirm it would be a welcome addition to the Jeep range in Australia," he said.

Sales of the Patriot and Compass have virtually halved in Australia during the last 12 months, so a new small SUV would be a boon for the local operation. The last time we reviewed the Compass we awarded it 53/100.

Another model confirmed by Manley was the Jeep Wrangler ute, or pick-up as they're termed in the US. As previously reported, Jeep Australia is keen to offer customers a Jeep Wrangler pick up, and Chesterton reiterated this: "While I can't confirm anything about a Wrangler ute, obviously Australia is a huge market for utes and if such a product was available to us, we'd seriously consider it," he said.

Back in Detroit, Manley echoed the comments of his boss, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne, who earlier this week verified that the Jeep Wrangler ute would be manufactured at the company's Toledo plant in the USA, alongside the next-generation Wrangler.

This means the Wrangler will likely be a lifestyle ute and not an affordable one-tonne model to rival the likes of the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger. The burning question for Aussie Jeep fans is whether the Wrangler ute will be built in right-hand drive.

We'll be in New York to report on the new Compass in late March so stay tuned for all the details from the motor show floor.