Stellantis begins production of the new Jeep Compass
Jeep officially announced the start of production on Wednesday, 29 October. However, the photos released with the statement, showing the first units of the Compass, are dated 22 and 23 October – indicating that production had already been running for some time. In most cases, the communicated “start of production” marks the point when customer vehicles begin assembly, while pre-series production usually starts weeks or even months earlier.
The new Jeep Compass is based on Stellantis’ STLA Medium platform. The DS N°8 is already being built on this platform in Melfi, including a fully electric version. The new Lancia Gamma is set to follow in 2026, and an Opel model from the same plant was mentioned as early as 2022. Other STLA Medium models are produced at different Stellantis sites, including the Peugeot E-3008, E-5008 and the Opel Grandland Electric. At 4.55 metres long, the Compass ranks among the more compact vehicles on the platform, with a similar length to the E-3008. The E-5008, by contrast, is 24 centimetres longer.
The powertrain lineup is nearly identical across models. The fully electric Jeep Compass will launch with a 157 kW front-wheel-drive system paired with the familiar 74 kWh battery pack. A 276 kW all-wheel-drive version is set to follow later, giving the Compass more power than the all-wheel-drive variants of the Peugeot models, which offer up to 239 kW.
Production in Melfi, however, begins with the front-wheel-drive version.
According to Stellantis, the Melfi plant has “a long Jeep heritage.” In 2014, Melfi became the first Jeep production site outside North America, initially manufacturing the Renegade and later the Compass – including the plug-in hybrid variant. With the launch of the new third-generation Compass, Jeep is now offering the model as a fully electric vehicle, while continuing to produce hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions.
The decision to build the new model in Melfi was influenced not only by this history. “Thanks to an ultra-flexible assembly line, the plant can adapt in real time to market demand, adjusting the mix of vehicles produced, up to 100% BEV if necessary. This ‘freedom of production’ ensures that the industrial capacity evolves together with customer choice,” Stellantis stated, underscoring its multi-energy strategy.
The Jeep Compass from Melfi is not limited to the European market but is positioned as a global model for the brand. According to the company, the third-generation Compass will be sold in 60 countries, including Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia, Australia and New Zealand – all supplied from Italy. “With production now underway, it marks a new chapter for Jeep in Europe: designed, engineered, and built in Italy, the New Compass sets new benchmarks in the C-SUV segment worldwide, offering customers unmatched versatility, capability, and innovation,” Jeep said.
This article was first published by Sebastian Schaal for electrive’s German edition.
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