How Jeep Plans to Become the Top 'Zero-Emission SUV Brand in the World'

• The Jeep Avenger is first in the EV pipeline—intended for Europe and certain Asian markets—and will debut at the Paris auto show on October 17 before arriving in showrooms early next year.

• The four-door Recon EV (pictured above) is designed to go wherever a Wrangler can go, and a luxury-leaning electric SUV carrying (for now) the Wagoneer S code name will go on sale in the US in 2024.

• Both the Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S electric vehicles will be sold in major markets globally, including Europe and North America.

Stellantis management has shed more light on its electrification plans for the Jeep brand, and they are ambitious, with four all-electric models by 2025, including a Wrangler-inspired four-door Recon rugged off-roader, a luxury-leaning SUV carrying (for now) the Wagoneer S code name, and the Avenger compact SUV, going on sale next year in Europe and Asia.

That leaves a fourth all-electric vehicle to be named later, but the brand promises four battery-electric SUVs in North America and Europe by 2025, and that 50% of Jeep sales in the US and 100% of sales in Europe will be all-electric by 2030.

During a media briefing yesterday, Jeep management didn’t say when we’ll learn about that fourth piece of the product puzzle, but the team did say next Wednesday’s Jeep press conference during the Detroit auto show will be devoted to other product news.

“We are designing and developing the most capable and sustainable Jeep SUVs to date, on our path to becoming the leading zero-emission SUV brand in the world,” says Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO. Here's a video snapshot summing up Jeep's EV aspirations.

Although Jeep has hinted at its battery-electric intentions in recent years—with its Magneto Wrangler concept, for instance—it’s reasonable to view the Stellantis brands overall as lagging on the battery-electric front while cross-town rivals Ford and General Motors already have BEVs on the road.

Meunier wants to change that, at least for the Jeep brand. “This is a forward-thinking strategy to help ensure millions of Jeep fans around the world continue to have a planet to explore, embrace, and protect. Electrification is great for our brand, making it even more capable, exciting, sustainable, and fun,” he says.

Technical details on these first three vehicles are scarce. Based on the product cadence rolled out yesterday, the Avenger is first in the pipeline and will debut at the Paris auto show on October 17 before arriving in showrooms early next year.

The Avenger—not to be confused with the Dodge Avenger, sold in the US from 1995 to 2014—was presented as part of the Stellantis Dare Forward strategic plan earlier this year, although the name wasn’t revealed until today. Jeep management says the targeted electric range for the Avenger is 249 miles (400 km). The Avenger will be available with both two- and four-wheel drive.

As cute as this Jeep might be, it isn’t bound for the North American market. Ralph Gilles, head of design for Stellantis, says the Avenger is smaller than the internal-combustion Jeep Renegade sold here (and less boxy, too) and was designed specifically for the tight corners and narrow streets of Europe, as well as Japan and South Korea.

Stellantis will build the Avenger at its plant in Tychy, Poland, which presents a difficult business case for exporting the small (ostensibly low-priced) vehicle to North America.

The automaker will, however, manufacture the Wagoneer and Recon BEVs in North American plants (no specific locations identified yet), and both are derived from the STLA Large platform designed for battery-electric vehicles. Eager customers will be able to reserve their purchases early next year, before sales begin in 2024.

The Recon, with exposed hinges allowing easy removal of the doors, is designed to go wherever a Wrangler can go, without burning a drop of gasoline. Meunier says the Recon will be able to cross the 22-mile Rubicon Trail with Jeep Selec-Terrain traction management system, e-locker axles, underbody skid plates, tow hooks, and big, knobby tires, while offering the latest Uconnect infotainment system with travel guides for notable off-road trails.

Asked whether the Recon will someday replace the internal-combustion Wrangler, Gilles said the stylistic similarities between the two were intentional, but that the Recon is aimed at a new, different customer.

Still, as emissions regulations ratchet up globally (and if the charging infrastructure fills out), it’s possible the Wrangler at some point in the future could go all-electric.

The two-row Wagoneer EV, while also equipped with all-terrain management, is clearly suited for upscale customers who might rarely stray from the pavement, although 4x4 capability will be standard. Jeep offers a few specs for the Wagoneer EV: 600 hp, a 0-60 mph time in about 3.5 seconds, and a target range of 400 miles on a single charge.

As much as the Recon borrowed design cues from the Wrangler, this Wagoneer EV shares certain styling elements with its recently launched internal-combustion Wagoneer sibling (although smaller) in the Jeep lineup with a modern, LED-lit grille.

Since launching the Jeep Wrangler 4xe a few years ago, Stellantis has used the 4xe (“four by E”) moniker strictly in reference to plug-in hybrids. But now it appears the 4xe badge will be applied to any electrified 4x4 Jeep.

“We say that 4xe is the new 4x4,” Meunier says.