Jeep springs its first BEVs

Four all-new, battery-electric models will spearhead Jeep's plan to electrify 100% of its product lineup by 2025, the Stellantis brand announced on Sept. 7. The quartet of BEVs includes the 4-door Jeep Recon and an electric Wagoneer code-named Wagoneer S, to be built in North America, and the Jeep Avenger, a compact 5-door SUV that will be built and sold in Europe. Jeep executives noted a fourth new BEV model also is in the near-term launch pipeline but provided no details.

The Avenger enters production next year, with Recon and the Wagoneer S following in 2024, said Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO. The “4xe” used to delineate Jeep's current range of plug-in hybrid vehicles will also serve as an umbrella for the new battery-electric models, with Meunier explaining that “4xe is a forward-thinking strategy” aimed at transforming Jeep into “the leading electrified SUV brand in the world” (www.youtube.com/thejeep-channel). The BEV escalation aims for 100% of Jeep's European sales and 50% of U.S. sales to be all-electric by 2030, in line with Stellantis's corporate net-zero carbon emissions-reduction target.