A Country Falls Out of Love With Jeep's Renegade

One of the most fervent wishes of late Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne was to see Jeeps enter the garages of consumers in as many countries as possible. The brand’s expansion in past years has been considerable, but not every model is having an easy time, and not all markets have proven receptive.

This week, residents of a country mourning the impending loss of a home-grown brand learned that a Jeep model will soon be no more. Don’t expect an outpouring of angst, however, as they’d already given up on it. Even the Ford EcoSport sells better.

As reported by CarAdvice, Jeep has discontinued the Renegade in Australia, claiming the weak Aussie dollar makes the subcompact model’s boat trip unviable.

That financial element may be true, but it’s also a fact that few Australian buyers are interested in owning one. In 2019, Jeep sold just 70 examples in the kangaroo-infested country. Compare that to the unpopular Ford EcoSport, which unloaded some 481 units in the same year.

While a brand spokesperson said the model could return if it suddenly becomes “commercially viable,” Australians are advised not to hold their breath. With this latest development, the compact Compass becomes the smallest Jeep vehicle in that market.

First sold in North America in 2015, the Renegade, which recently received a potent 1.3-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, also faces declining popularity in this market. The model’s first full year of sales, 2016, was its best. Declining each year thereafter, Renegade sales fell 21 percent in 2019. In Canada, sales fell 44 percent to just 664 vehicles (down from 2,266 Renegades in 2016).

Hardly a sales powerhouse, though the model is still flying the Jeep flag high in Europe — a market for which the Fiat-based vehicle is better suited. European Renegade volume hit a new high water mark in 2019, with nearly 79,000 units sold.

Sadly for FCA, the same cannot be said for China, where the Renegade went from player to pushover in the past few years. After selling some 38,715 Renegades in that market in 2018, Jeep watched sales fall to 5,640 units in 2019. A number of reasons can be blamed for the decline, not all of them FCA’s fault.

Despite all of this, the Renegade is not giving up. This year brings a plug-in hybrid variant of the little ute, no doubt earning it increased attention in regions that prioritize reduced emissions over all else.

[Images: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]