Stellantis lines up 12 Citroen, Jeep launches for India by 2030

Stellantis has confirmed 12 Citroen and Jeep launches for India by 2030 as part of a roadmap dubbed ‘Fastlane 2030’. The first of these is scheduled to go on sale in India by the second quarter of 2027.

Speaking to Autocar India at the 2026 Paris Motor Show, Tianshu Xin, head of Stellantis China and Asia-Pacific, confirmed a new investment of Rs 4,000 crore for the Indian market and said, “The plan is to introduce 12 new models in three years… Seven of them will be new, and five are upgrades.” While Maserati is also under the Stellantis India umbrella, the Italian marque’s more niche, low-volume market positioning likely explains why it isn’t part of the planned model blitz.

Xin also provided an update on the long-overdue India entry of Stellantis’s Chinese EV brand, Leapmotor. Stellantis had planned to bring Leapmotor to India in 2025, but that evidently didn’t pan out. Xin noted that Leapmotor’s India entry is still being studied and that there has to be enough “volume potential to justify the business case”. Therefore, a decision on Leapmotor entering India will only be made when the business case is “proven and solid”.

Upcoming Jeep models: What to expect

Five launches planned

Jeep’s upcoming midsize SUV, based on the Tata Sierra’s ARGOS platform, could be part of the model offensive. Image used for representational purposes.

Jeep currently retails the Compass, Meridian, Grand Cherokee and Wrangler in India and has five launches planned. In an interview with Autocar India, Stellantis India CEO Shailesh Hazela noted that the upcoming model offensive will diversify Jeep India’s presence, including in segments such as midsize SUVs, and there would be a premium pickup truck. “There will be new products, which will be coming from, I would say, B-segment, C-segment, D-segment and D pickup. All those will be the new products,” Hazela said.

The new Jeep midsize SUV based on the Tata Sierra’s ARGOS platform, which we reported on exclusively, is expected to be part of the roadmap too. This SUV will likely be offered with combustion and electric powertrains (à la the Sierra and Sierra EV), with a market launch planned sometime during the first half of 2028.

Interestingly, Hazela confirmed that an electric Jeep is in the works for India without disclosing its launch timeline, specifications or manufacturing location. It may well be that he was referring to the ARGOS-based electric SUV. When asked whether every Jeep would offer at least one four-wheel-drive variant in India, Hazela replied it would be the company’s effort, given its importance to the brand, but didn’t quite commit to it for every model.

Speaking on localisation for Jeep, Hazela cited Citroen’s localisation experience as a reference for future development, saying its India-developed products had achieved 95 percent localisation, including the engine and transmission, while “keeping the premiumness, keeping the DNA,” but using the local ingredients.

Upcoming Citroen models: What to expect

Seven launches planned

Citroen eC3X. Image used for representational purposes only.

Seven of the 12 launches are planned from Citroen, with an MPV and an A-segment car likely to be part of the list. The brand currently sells the C3, eC3, Aircross, Basalt and C5 Aircross in India, and it will also lead Stellantis’s further development of CNG offerings in the country. On the EV side, the eC3 remains the immediate focus, and Hazela declined to confirm an electric Aircross when asked.

In addition to the new launches, Hazela said Citroen was increasing local and dealer-led marketing while developing more cost-competitive showroom and service formats. “We will be investing not only in product, not only in manufacturing, not only in localisation but also in increasing our customer experience,” he remarked.

Asked whether Citroen’s initial approach had placed too much emphasis on cost-cutting at the expense of features customers expected, Hazela said the company had learnt from the experience: “Giving what customers need is our philosophy. Whatever we do, we do it for the customer. And you rightly said, we learned, we improved, and we are back.”

New multi-powertrain strategy to include ICE, EVs and hybrids

Stellantis is open to sourcing powertrains from external suppliers too

Stellantis STLA Large platform. Image used for representational purposes only.

Across Citroen and Jeep, Stellantis India intends to expand its powertrain choices to include internal combustion engines, hybrids, EVs and CNG. However, it has not disclosed which technologies it will offer on individual models. “India is not just one kind of customer. We have to have options, and we will be providing options, including ICE, hybrid, EV and CNG,” Hazela said.

Notably, Stellantis is also open to procuring powertrains from external suppliers. When asked directly about that possibility, Hazela replied, “It’s an option which is on the table.” This route could allow Stellantis to draw on a partner’s technology and development scale instead of bearing the entire cost itself.

Similarly, Stellantis is evaluating local and global partnerships for hybrids, alongside potential sourcing opportunities through free trade agreements. “These are solutions which are very costly to develop, and one way to look at it is how we can acquire from other countries using FTA. The second way is to use partnerships globally and locally. So every option is being worked out,” he said.

All told, Citroen and Jeep haven’t been very successful at attracting buyers in recent years, but this upcoming barrage of launches could be the shot in the arm Stellantis India needs to pique buyer interest again.

With inputs from Viraaj Neel Bhatnagar