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Jeep says it'll be the first EV Jeep in the U.S. market and kick off an aggressive electrification plan.
Jeep revealed its electrification plans Thursday, announcing a wide-ranging effort to electrify its lineup and launch a slate of fully electric offerings. The first sold in the U.S. will be a small, square SUV called the Jeep Recon.
The boxy SUV, shown here in concept form, will take cues from the Wrangler to win over hardcore Jeep fans. The doors and glass will be removable, like on the current Wrangler, and a one-touch power top should provide the open-air experience Jeep owners are used to. The Recon will also offer "e-locker" technology to emulate locking diffs, a Selec-Terrain traction system with multiple drive modes, underbody skid pads, and off-road tires. Based on the more conventional crossover footprint and the automatic drive modes, the Recon's offerings seem a bit more in line with the TrailHawk trims of mainstream Jeeps than they do with the simple, hardcore Wrangler.
We won't know how serious of a rig the Recon is until the production model is revealed next year. You'll be able to place an order then, but production won't start until 2024. The EV Jeep will be available worldwide.
Europeans won't have to wait quite as long for an all-electric Jeep. The Jeep Avenger, already shown at Stellantis' "Dare Forward" Day, will launch in Europe in 2023. The little SUV will slot in below the Renegade and be sold in Europe, Japan, and South Korea. Jeep is targetting a 249-mile range, but that's likely calculated using the much more generous WLTP method common in Europe.
For a more distinctly American flavor, wait for Jeep's bigger all-electric SUV. That product, codenamed "Wagoneer S", will be part of the growing and revitalized Wagoneer family. Jeep will reveal it early next year with production kicking off in 2024. Because it'll be a global car, we'd expect it to be a bit smaller than the existing Wagoneers. It will be EV-only, with a target range of 400 miles. We'd once again assume that's a WLTP number, with the tougher EPA test likely yielding a lower figure. Either way, the Jeep should make 600 hp and hit sixty in roughly 3.5 seconds. Imagine reading that sentence 20 years ago.