2017 Jeep Compass, Patriot Replacement: To Be Unveiled At LA Auto Show This Fall

Jeep will reportedly unveil a replacement for its Patriot crossover and Compass SUVs at the end of this year at the assembly plant in Brazil. A modified U.S. version: 2018 model will be launched several weeks later at the November's 2016 Auto Show at Los Angeles.

According to Autonews, Jeep brand head Mike Manley stated earlier this June that the single vehicle replacement for both the Patriot and Jeep Compass to debut in late September will retain only one of the two names. Manley also added that the vehicle, known in the company as the C-SUV, is not going to be delayed and will be featured at the L.A. Auto Show. The C-SUV will appear in U.S. dealerships in early 2017.

The official reveal of the replacements in Brazil will be during a ceremonial celebration for the beginning of production at the FCA's new Pernambuco assembly plant, which also manufactures the Jeep Renegade. The Compass replacement is said to be sharing the smaller Renegade's platform along with its disconnecting front-wheel based drivetrain, as per autoevolution.com.

According to a report published in Edmunds.com earlier, for the demands in North America, the Compass replacement is to be manufactured in Toluca, Mexico, in place of Belvidere, Ill. It is also to be assembled in China for the demands in the Chinese market, with production scheduled to start late this year.

"In each plant, the status of the launch is mostly on track," Manley said. "The vehicle has hardly changed since it was shown to journalists in Detroit in December." In a press talk during Fiat Chrysler's annual "What's New" event for journalists Manley also clarified the Jeep brand's future product plans to go both smaller as well as larger. He continues to study an entry-level Jeep that would supposedly be much smaller but would be sold mostly outside North America.

The Compass and Patriot presently compete with other crossover SUVs as the Honda HR-V. Though there have been some upgrades, both the Jeep models have been in the market since 2007. The name of the new redesigned vehicle will be revealed at the ceremony in Brazil. Jeep will eliminate the other model from its lineup, abandoning the past strategy of marketing two distinctly identical styled models.

The new model is a re-engineered version of the front-wheel architecture that is shared by all of the Jeep Renegade, Dodge Dart and other Fiat-Chrysler models. Four-wheel drive will be optional. Official pricing of the new Model has not yet been announced.