Ivan Drury, senior manager of insights for Edmunds, doesn’t think Jeep will be content with “middle-of-the-pack performance” in the sales race.
One way to make an upward move, Drury said, is to broaden the portfolio with an electrified Compass.
Drury pointed to the success of the top-selling RAV4, which has a diverse slate of offerings, from a conventional hybrid to the RAV4 Prime plug-in hybrid. On top of that, he said, there are the traditional gasoline models that include the TRD trim for those looking for off-road capability.
The RAV4 Hybrid had its best first half ever, with 86,673 sales, up 65.5 percent from the year-earlier period, Toyota said. RAV4 Prime sales through June rose 5 percent to 10,153.
Drury said the segment demands electrified powertrains.
“Whether it be plug-in hybrid, full-on EV or just a standard hybrid, that’s something that definitely gives a leg up,” Drury said.
“It’s going to add parity because we see so many plug-in hybrids and hybrids in this realm already.”
Karl Brauer, executive analyst at iSeeCars.com, said a plug-in hybrid variant would work in the U.S.
“We’ve seen really positive reactions to every [Jeep] 4xe version that has come so far,” Brauer said. “If they wanted to add that component to the Compass, it would only further bolster its competitiveness in that category and extend the time frame of which the car should be capable of strong sales.”