Americans Are Really Into Jeep's Plug-In Hybrid Wrangler

Initially offered on the Wrangler High Altitude, Rubicon and Sahara, the 4xe quickly became the most popular PHEV, with 2021 sales of about 29,000, Stellantis said. It accounted for 14 percent of total U.S. Wrangler volume.

Sales surged to more than 43,000 vehicles last year, representing nearly a quarter of all Wranglers. [...]

Jeep’s entrenchment in the PHEV market has become even clearer this year. Wrangler 4xe sales increased 72 percent in the first quarter, representing 38 percent of the total for the nameplate, and it was joined at the top by another Jeep, the Grand Cherokee 4xe that went on sale in late 2022. Jeep sold 7,222 Grand Cherokee 4xe models in the quarter, accounting for 13 percent of that nameplate’s total volume.

Buyers of the two 4xe models can get a $7,500 federal tax credit only through Monday, April 17, when that amount is cut in half. Stellantis said the vehicles will remain eligible for up to $7,500 on leases.

Jeep’s hybrid 4xe lineup could serve as a bridge to BEVs, said Thomas Libby, S&P Global Mobility’s associate director of industry analysis. The difference in the migration patterns to full EVs for households with conventional gasoline models and those that own PHEVs is drastic, he said.

Registration data for the fourth quarter of 2022 shows 5.1 percent of households with a gasoline-powered vehicle in the garage that were back in the market for a new vehicle bought a BEV. That percentage jumps to 29 percent among households with a PHEV.

Japan’s third-biggest automaker by sales is seeking a partner outside the auto industry to develop software that connects vehicles to cloud-based services, two people involved in discussions said, without elaborating on candidates. That would address a relative weakness for Nissan as it tries to make cars “smarter and more connected”, one of the people said.

It is also working on an expanded strategy for all-battery and plug-in EVs for North American and Asian markets that will be for Nissan alone, they said.

The revelations come as the alliance oversight board met this week to discuss a rebalance that will see Renault cut its stake in Nissan to 15% from 43% - matching the size of Nissan’s stake in Renault - and Nissan gain reciprocal voting rights.

Imbalance had long riled Nissan executives who complained Renault did not pay its fair share of costs for innovation and development. Nissan’s emerging strategy reflects a belief within the automaker that the 23-year-old alliance has run its course for many of the biggest challenges it faces, the people said.

While Nissan sees continued savings in shared parts procurement with Renault, it has no plan to provide engineering support to Ampere, said two of the people, who all asked not to be identified because talks between the pair are ongoing.

It also has no plan to provide its e-Power hybrid technology to a gasoline powertrain-focused joint venture Renault has with China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co Ltd and Saudi Aramco Base Oil Co JSC, two of the people said.

The luxury electric car-maker late Thursday said it produced 2,314 vehicles and delivered 1,406 in the quarter ended Mar. 31, lower than the 3,493 vehicles produced and 1,932 delivered in the December quarter.

Lucid shares fell 6.8 percent in premarket trading on Friday. The company said it will report quarterly results on May 8.

The Newark, Calif.-based company, already battling supply chain and logistics issues, was hit by aggressive price cuts sparked by Tesla Inc. that lured consumers away from its luxury cars amid rising interest rates and high inflation.

In its full-year forecast released in February, the EV company estimated it will produce 10,000 to 14,000 luxury vehicles through the year, missing analysts estimate of 21,815 cars by a wide margin.