Jeep announces all-electric Wrangler-inspired SUV, new EVs by 2025

DETROIT – Jeep plans to launch four new all-electric SUVs in North America by 2025, including a luxury Grand Wagoneer and a Wrangler-inspired off-road vehicle called the Recon.

The quintessential American SUV brand announced the new vehicles Thursday along with plans for half of its U.S. sales, and all of its European sales, to be all-electric vehicles by 2030. The sales targets are in line with prior ones announced by Jeep’s parent company, Stellantis.

Jeep executives said the new EV models will be additions to the brand’s lineup, not replacements for current models such as its flagship Wrangler off-road SUV.

The announcements make for Jeep’s most detailed and aggressive electrification plans to date. Previously, the brand was largely focusing on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that offer all-electric driving in addition to a traditional internal combustion engine.

“Our goal is very clear: Become the global leader in SUV electrification,” Jeep CEO Christian Meunier said during a media briefing. The company plans to achieve that goal by 2025.

The Recon – a “brother” to the Wrangler – and the electric Grand Wagoneer, called the “S,” are expected to go into production in 2024, Jeep said.

The automaker is targeting a range of 400 miles on a single charge, 600 horsepower and a 0-60 mph time of around 3.5 seconds for the electric Grand Wagoneer S. The brand did not announce performance expectations for the Recon beyond saying it will offer Wrangler-like off-road capability.

Jeep also plans to offer four new EVs in Europe by 2025, including a small SUV called the Avenger that will not be sold in the U.S. Meunier declined to say how many of the vehicles would be sold in both North America and Europe.

The Avenger, which is smaller than the brand’s entry-level Jeep Renegade, will arrive in European showrooms in early 2023, according to the company.

Jeep plans for every vehicle in its lineup to offer some form of “electrification” by 2025. That could include hybrid, plug-in hybrid electric or all-electric models. The company declined to forecast what part of its sales will be powered by traditional gasoline-powered engine by 2025 or 2030.

Jeep currently offers plug-in hybrid electric versions of its Wrangler and Grand Cherokee in the U.S. The vehicles can travel in all-electric mode before an internal combustion engine kicks on to power the vehicles. The 4×4 electrified models are badged “4xe,” a play on the brand’s off-road reputation combined with electrification.

“This is just the beginning of an exciting new chapter,” said Jim Morrison, head of the Jeep brand in North America. “4xe is the new 4×4.”

Jeep-parent Stellantis’ overall electrification strategy includes investing 30 billion euros, now worth $30.1 billion, in electric vehicles and supporting technologies through 2025. The company expects to have 55 electrified vehicles in the U.S. and Europe by 2025 — 40 all-electric models and 15 plug-in hybrid electric vehicles.