Jeep will launch a new series of fully electric vehicles in the coming years, aiming to compete directly with Tesla. However, the company is careful not to neglect its existing customer base and is committed to maintaining a variety of powertrains to meet the needs of a diverse audience, at least for the near future.
Jeep’s new range of electric vehicles will aim to attract new customers
In 2018, the American brand of Stellantis reached a record sales in the United States with 973,227 units. However, in 2023, sales in this market have experienced a significant decline, reducing to about 643,000 vehicles, equivalent to a third less than the previous peak. With electric vehicles, the brand intends to increase these numbers, surpassing one million vehicles sold in the United States. The recently introduced Wagoneer S will reach showrooms by the fall, followed by the Wrangler-inspired Recon EV. Antonio Filosa, CEO of Jeep, believes that the new pair of electric vehicles will be able to attract a new audience to the brand.
In an interview with Automotive News, Filosa revealed that 75% of buyers of the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe were new customers for Jeep, coming from other brands. For Jeep’s future range of electric vehicles, it is expected that this percentage could increase even further. “Our main target is Tesla, but it’s not the only one,” Filosa stated.
Despite the introduction of electric vehicles such as the Wagoneer S and Recon, Jeep may not reach the ambitious goal of one million sales in the United States. These models, while falling into the mid-size segment, may not sufficiently attract the brand’s traditional customer base. To fill this gap and meet market needs, it is highly likely that Jeep will opt for the relaunch of an updated version of the Cherokee with an internal combustion engine.
Filosa announced that by 2025, Jeep will introduce a new mid-size model with a combustion engine. Although the name has not yet been revealed, analysts consider the return of the Cherokee name probable. The vehicle is expected to be based on the STLA Large platform, leaving open the possibility of a future electric variant.
With three or more new models arriving for the mid-size segment, Jeep could begin to see a revival of its dominance over mid-size SUVs. “We have lost a lot of market coverage, but we want to recover it in the next three years, going from a very low 45% of market coverage to a promising 85% of market coverage in 2027 with many new product launches”, Filosa stated.