- Jeep registrations in Europe have risen for 3 consecutive years, and last December was the 14th month of continuous growth, resulting in an overall increase of 70% in 2014.
- Jeep was the fastest growing brand within Europe (source: ACEA data).
- In December, the new Renegade is rewarded twice, by being awarded the prestigious 5 star Euro NCAP rating and recognised as the best-selling vehicle in its segment in Italy.
- The first Jeep Renegade intended for sale out of Europe, mainly in North America, are leaving the ports of Europe.
- The most successful Jeep initiatives in 2014 include the creation of the Jeep® Owners Group (JOG) and passing the milestone of 2 million Facebook fans.
2014 was a record year for the Jeep brand, both in terms of sales and for the initiatives and events supporting the commercial launches of new models in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA). Testament to this success is also the exponential growth of fans on the brand’s social media sites: all Jeep official Facebook EMEA channels have reached a total of more than two million fans, with extraordinary year-over-year growth peaks in some countries (in Italy, for example, the number of registered followers has increased by 600%).
Record registrations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA)
The number of Jeep registrations in 2014 was unprecedented, increasing by more than 42% in EMEA and by 70% in Europe (EU-28 + EFTA), with record results in many of the main countries, notably France with a surge of 110%, followed by Italy with 95%, Belgium with 87% and the UK, which was up by 75%, and finally Germany, which recorded increases of 51%.
December represented the fourteenth month of consecutive year to year growth, both on a regional level and in many of the main countries (Russia, Italy, Germany, France, Belgium and Switzerland, just to name a few).
Looking at the product, Jeep’s success was driven by the performance of the flagship Grand Cherokee, which remained in the top positions in terms of sales throughout 2014 both in Europe as a whole, where it climbed by 3 positions compared to 2013, and in some of the main European countries, including Germany. In Italy, the Grand Cherokee occupied the top position in its segment for 5 months out of 12, including December, ending the year in second place overall. In addition, the Grand Cherokee was the second highest selling vehicle in its segment in Switzerland and Poland.
The first new entry to the Jeep family in 2014, the new Cherokee presented at the 2014 Geneva motor show, recorded its highest sales since 2008, allowing Jeep to double its sales in this segment and exceeding monthly registrations of the previous generation on an annual basis. The new Cherokee received multiple awards, among them the “Best Small SUV” awarded by the Car Of The Year Awards 2014 in the Middle East, and the recognition as the “SUV of the Year” by the Association of Scottish Motoring Writers.
Sales of the new Renegade – the latest addition to the Jeep family, which marks the brand’s entrance in the compact SUV segment – started at the end of September in Italy and in October in the other main European countries. The Jeep Renegade immediately entered the list of the top ten best selling cars in Italy in its category and reached the top position in its segment in December.
From Salerno to San Diego: the first Jeep Renegade land in North America
The first Jeep Renegades destined for non-European markets (mainly North America) are being shipped in January. First from Southampton and Antwerp then from Salerno and Civitavecchia, the ships will sail to different destinations, with volumes that vary from 300 to 500 units for the smaller ships to almost 3,000 units for larger ships, with a sailing time that can vary between 2 and 3 weeks.
Five star Euro NCAP for the new Jeep Renegade
The new Jeep Renegade was also awarded the prestigious five star Euro NCAP, with a total score of 80/100, achieved mainly as a result of the 87% score for adult protection and 85% for child protection, and the positive results in all of the main tests. This prestigious recognition was also obtained due to the innovative “Small Wide 4×4 architecture” and to the most advanced active safety technologies, such as the “Front Collision Warning Plus” system, available for the first time in its segment.
Jeep® Owners Group (JOG) active in 9 European countries
2014 also saw the début of the Jeep® Owners Group (JOG), the only official group managed centrally by the brand. It is already active in 9 European countries. JOG is the “place” where the brand meets its Jeepers, the vehicles’ owners and fans of the brand, and is integrated with the existing national clubs. The Jeep® Owners Group is also active in the main social networks, using dedicated channels that provide users information and enable them to interact with other community members as true ambassadors of the brand around the world.
