Jeep to teach off-roading online

The Jeep lifestyle has always been synonymous with the great outdoors and the automaker is now looking to offer this experience online too. “We want to provide an end-to-end, off-road trail experience as a service. We'll offer this convenience to customers for a very low subscription price,” said Mamatha Chamarthi, head of Software Business and Product Management, Stellantis, at a media round table in response to a query from Autocar India.

• Jeep to curate an end-to-end experience of off-road trails
• Will provide online training for off-roading
• Will help customers find and organise trails with other owners

Jeep’s plans to promote off-roading

Even beginners will be able to enlist for Jeep's service that can “educate and train them” for off-roading.

The company is also developing a virtual on-board instructor that can monitor the subscriber’s progress. “Through software, we’ll understand how the customers are driving and continuously coach them all along the way so that they can have fun, but, at the same time, be safe,” commented Chamarthi.

Jeep also aims to help customers find and arrange off-road trails with other owners, in addition to capturing the experience and sharing it online. Moreover, it will help them track down other necessities, like camping equipment, that they might need outdoors. With everything covered – from training to organising and going on off-road trails – Jeep believes that its service will provide customers an “end-to-end” experience.

Services to be available for new as well as existing Jeep customers

What makes the virtual on-board instructor possible is the connected car tech that can transmit data to Jeep. So owners of the latest Jeep models, like the 2021 Compass, will be able to avail the upcoming services. “But we are not saying that only new cars will have these capabilities. We don't want to forget our existing customers,” said Chamarthi.

The existing Jeep car parc in the country is a huge opportunity for the brand. As such, the company is looking at ways – be it through a dongle or a smartphone – to extend similar services to older model year vehicles which are missing the connected car tech, though they are expected to have limited functionality.