During the Stellantis 2024 Investor Day presentation, Jeep brand chief executive officer Antonio Filosa shared quite a few interesting tidbits about Jeep's future in the United States of America, beginning with the next-generation Renegade and Compass. To be launched by 2027, a so-called mainstream utility vehicle will join the lineup as the American manufacturer's thirteenth nameplate.
Through 2027, the Stellantis-controlled marque further plans mid-cycle updates for the Grand Cherokee, Grand Cherokee L, Wrangler, Gladiator, Wagoneer, and the Grand Wagoneer. Multi-energy propulsion will be offered across the lineup, which means that both the standard Wagoneer and the fancier model could receive electric assistance.
Better still, Jeep might offer the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer as range-extended electric vehicles. The Ram truck brand will do exactly that with the Ram 1500 for model year 2025 in the form of the Ramcharger, whose 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 serves as a generator for its large battery (92 kilowatt hours), which feeds two electric motors.
Targeting a total range of 690 miles (1,110 kilometers) with a full tank of gas and a full charge of said high-voltage battery, Ramcharger packs 663 horsepower and 615 pound-feet (834 Nm) of torque. In other words, it can hit 60 miles per hour (97 kilometers per hour) in 4.4 seconds, while its maximum towing capacity is 14,000 pounds (6,350 kilograms). Being a range-extended electric vehicle, it's a more appealing vehicle than a battery-electric vehicle to prospective customers who can't shake off range anxiety and other BEV whatnots.
Turning our attention back to the new models due through 2027, the all-new Renegade has been confirmed as being a B-segment model, namely a subcompact crossover. The big question is whether or not it's twinned with the Citroen e-C3 on the Smart Car platform. Antonio Filosa further stated that an electric version is on the horizon with a starting price of just under $25,000. It's not clear if Filosa included the $7,500 federal tax credit and the destination charge, but in any case, $25,000 is pretty close to the sticker price of the Citroen e-C3.
Photo: Stellantis
Including all taxes, the zero-emission crossover is €23,300 or $24,995 at current exchange rates. Driving range? That would be 320 kilometers or 199 miles from a 44-kWh battery that powers a front-mounted electric motor. The all-new Compass for North America, meanwhile, will be produced in Brampton, Canada on the STLA Medium platform. That means anything between mild hybrid and fully electric, with the SLTA Medium currently underpinning the two-row Peugeot 3008 and the three-row Peugeot 5008.
Both of them are compacts by European standards. The front-drive Peugeot e-3008 Long Range is the most interesting of the bunch, for it offers the most driving range at 700 kilometers (430 miles) of the bunch from a 228-horsepower electric motor.
As for the yet-to-be-detailed mainstream utility vehicle, the big kahuna of Jeep is likely referring to the return of the Cherokee. Why? Here's an excerpt from said presentation: "That means to reenter in the US in the largest segment of the planet, which is the mid-SUV segment, as we dropped last year with a drop of Jeep Cherokee," said Filosa.
Expected to enter production in the second half of 2025, the next-gen Cherokee is also rumored to feature the STLA Medium architecture, which supports both C- and D-segment applications. The next level up is the STLA Large for both transverse or longitudinal applications, with Stellantis confirming wheelbases of 113.0 to 121.1 inches (2,870 to 3,075 millimeters). Considering that the Cherokee rocks 106.3 inches (2,700 millimeters) and the Peugeot 5008 measures 114.2 inches (2,900 millimeters) between the axles, we shouldn't rule out the STLA Large for the all-new Cherokee.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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