In order to have a continued presence in India’s petrol SUV market, Stellantis is exploring the option of using Tata Motors’ upcoming 1.5-litre T-GDi engine to power the Jeep Compass, and possibly the Meridian too.

1. Compass, Meridian could share all powertrains with Harrier, Safari
2. Tata Sierra, Harrier and Safari to use 1.5 T-GDi engine

Jeep SUVs to use Tata 1.5 T-GDi

Future variants of the Jeep Compass and Meridian likely to use Tata’s 1.5 engine

This was published in Autocar India's October 2025 issue.

While the larger Jeep Meridian (available in 5-seat and 7-seat forms) has been diesel-only since its launch, the Compass used to be offered with a 1.4-litre turbo-petrol engine that produced 163hp and 250Nm of torque. However, the Compass petrol was discontinued in May 2023, with the implementation of BS6.2 norms. Since then, the company has found it economically unviable to introduce a suitable petrol engine given its limited sales volumes in India.

The tie-up with Tata Motors would thus provide Stellantis with a ready and new petrol motor from a brand it already has a long-standing partnership with. Stellantis and Tata Motors jointly own the Ranjangaon plant, which besides the Nexon and Compass, also produces the 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine, which powers the Compass, Meridian, Harrier and Safari SUVs. The new petrol engine is also expected to be manufactured at the same facility. Incidentally, Tata recently acquired the licensing rights from Stellantis for the in-house development of the 2.0-litre Multijet diesel engine so that it can offer the unit in various states of tune.

Tata 1.5-litre T-GDi engine details

1.5-litre 4-cylinder turbocharged gasoline direct injection engine produces 170hp and 280Nm

Revealed at Auto Expo 2023, the 1.5-litre turbocharged gasoline direct injection (T-GDi) engine is a 4-cylinder unit, displacing 1,498cc. The engine showcased produced 170hp at 5,000rpm and 280Nm of torque between 2,000 and 3,500rpm, and was compatible with manual and automatic gearboxes. As mentioned above, the 1.5 T-GDi engine will make its debut on the reborn Tata Sierra and is later expected to make its way to the Harrier and Safari.