Jeep won’t get sporty

Jeep will stick with what it does best: building off-roaders.

Despite the increasing popularity of sportier, coupe-style SUVs such as the BMW X4 and X6, Mercedes-Benz GLC and GLE Coupes and Jaguar F-Pace, Jeep won't be competing.

Although Jeep currently offers the Grand Cherokee SRT with a 6.4-litre 'Hemi' V8 and is expected to shortly announce the long-rumoured 'Trackhawk' - a Grand Cherokee powered by the 527kW supercharged 'Hellcat' V8 - the brand's design chief, Mark Allen, ruled out taking Jeep in a sportier direction.

"I don't see it happening for me," Allen said.

He added: "If you're expecting that from me, you're going to be disappointed."

Allen also ruled expanding the SRT range for Jeep beyond the current Grand Cherokee, at least for the foreseeable future.

"It's not happening, at the moment anyway," he said.

But he did admit the company had looked at it and even hinted at the possibility of using some of the Fiat Chrysler Group's smaller turbocharged engines should the brand change its mind.

"I'd be lying if I said we hadn't studied it, but we just haven't taken any action on it," he explained. "So don't expect anything in the near future. But there are a few nice little turbo fours we have access too."

However, one model Allen is more open to is a possible smaller model to sit underneath Renegade. Although he stopped short of confirming any such variant is in the planning, he did admit that there is room for it - as long as it remains true to Jeep's off-road heritage.

"If we were to do an A class or smaller B class [model] it still needs to be a Jeep," he said. "It can't be a small car that looks like a Jeep but has no off-road chops. Whether or not you use it or need it, you walked into my dealership, you need to expect that."

• For all the latest information, visit our Jeep showroom.