“By 2025, our entire portfolio will be electrified. By 2030, 50% of the Jeep brand vehicles on sale in the U.S. will be battery electric vehicles.”
That’s how Jim Morrison, head of the Jeep brand for North America, introduced the next two new Jeep vehicles at a press conference yesterday.
Morrison and a design team showed off two all-new, fully electric Jeep SUVs that will reach the American market in 2024, plus a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) version of the full-size Grand Wagoneer and a small electric Jeep meant only for Europe.
The Four Electrified Jeeps
2024 Jeep Recon
When Americans think of Jeep, they think of rugged off-roaders with removable doors. Jeep designers know that if they’re going to convince longtime Jeep fans to embrace electrons, they’re going to have to do it with a vehicle that can go nearly anywhere.
They’re not jumping straight into an electric Wrangler (though they have built one, complete with manual transmission).
Instead, they offer this, the 2024 Jeep Recon. It has the short overhangs and square proportions of a classic Jeep product. But it looks almost like (it’s sacrilegious, but we’re going to say it) the product of an unholy union between a Wrangler and a Ford Bronco.
Jeep didn’t reveal anything about the Recon’s specifications. Morrison did promise that the doors come off, as they must.
It wears a Tron-like interpretation of the classic 7-slot grille, with seven tall rectangles outlined in thin LED strips. It also (gasp!) wears square headlights – a touch that suggests Jeep is welcoming the prodigal YJ home at last. (Out of the loop? From 1986 to 1996, the Wrangler wore square headlights. The style, known as YJ inside Jeep, was controversial the whole time.)
Designers promised locking axles, skid plates, and off-road tires. They didn’t mention independent front or rear suspension, but we think we caught a glimpse of it.
2024 Jeep Wagoneer S
The other U.S.-bound electric car Jeep showed off is called, at least temporarily, the Wagoneer S. Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles noted that “we’re calling it Wagoneer S for now,” so we’re not sure that will be the name on the badges when it goes on sale.
This one is a pavement Jeep and a performance-oriented one. “We’re aiming for a zero-to-sixty speed of three-and-a-half seconds,” Gilles said. “That’s Trackhawk territory,” Morrison added, referring to the high-performance version of the Grand Cherokee. But we can’t help but note that it’s faster than a Trackhawk.
The Wagoneer S almost steals a trick from corporate cousin Dodge’s recent electric muscle car. In profile, the rear of the roofline looks angular. But that’s an illusion created by a big rear wing – the roofline actually slopes in a gentle curve like a Tesla product. Parent company Stellantis seems to be finding interesting ways to keep its cars’ visual identity intact while improving their aerodynamics.
Morrison says Jeep is aiming for a 400-mile range with the all-electric Wagoneer S. But he revealed nothing about what powers it.
2024 Jeep Grand Wagoneer 4xe PHEV
Sharp-eyed readers will notice that Morrison promised an “electrified” portfolio, not an electric one. “Electrified” is a term automotive engineers use to refer to both electric cars and plug-in hybrids.
Jeep also announced yesterday that its 4xe (read it “four by E”) plug-in hybrid lineup will extend to the massive Grand Wagoneer for the 2024 model year. Once again, they kept powertrain details close to the vest. But they promised an overall driving range of 500 miles using both gas and electricity.
We’d be surprised if there were anything other than the powertrain of the Grand Cherokee 4xe under the hood. It allows for up to 25 miles of range on electric power alone — a number that would surely drop a bit, pulling the heavier Grand Wagoneer. But its 375 total horsepower would do the trick.
The One We’re Not Getting – 2023 Jeep Avenger
Jeep officials took the wraps off a fourth model yesterday but dashed hopes of seeing it in the U.S. The 2023 Jeep Avenger will be the first all-electric Jeep sold anywhere. But it will appear only in Europe. Some thought the subcompact model would come to the U.S. under the Jeepster name, but Morrison says Jeep believes there isn’t a market for a vehicle smaller than the Renegade in the U.S.
More to Come Soon
Jeep isn’t done showing off its new electric lineup. Officials promised two more electrified models on the way “soon.” With the Detroit Auto Show starting in less than a week, we expect to see them very soon.
