The soon-to-launch Jeep C-SUV, allegedly codenamed Jeep 551, has been spied being loaded onto a plane in South America ahead of testing… it will replace Jeep Patriot and Compass.

A PHOTO OF THE Jeep C-SUV, codenamed Jeep 551, has been snapped while the small SUV was being loaded onto a a plane in South America. Expected to be based on the Jeep Renegade (and you can read our full off-road test at that link) it’s a replacement for the ageing Jeep Patriot and Compass models and will be built in India for markets like Australia, Asia and Africa.

Slightly bigger than the Renegade, the Jeep C-SUV (Jeep 551) is expected to be powered by the same range of engines, which will all be mated to the same nine-speed transmission that runs in the Renegade.

Details are very thin on the ground, but it’s believed the Patriot and Compass replacement will go on-sale in 2017, and might get its debut at one of the motor shows next year.