Stellantis CEO Tavares Promises New $25,000 Jeep BEV for U.S
After Chrysler released the Chrysler Plug-in Hybrid minivan, off-road automaker Jeep® was one of the first Stellantis brands to start releasing electrified variants of its model lineup. Called 4xe, these models came with a large enough battery to power the vehicle without the need to burn gas, and the Jeep Gladiator 4xe is the last in line to finally get the makeover. Overseas, Jeep released its first all-electric model, the Jeep Avenger, but is keeping it far away from the U.S. Instead, the automaker is bringing a luxury battery-electric vehicle (BEV) to the states, the Wagoneer S. We wonder how that will affect the already large MSRP, but Stellantis CEO claims a $25,000 Jeep BEV will be coming to the U.S. very soon.
“Very soon” is so subjective, we can’t say if that means the new Jeep BEV will be released this year (2024) or in 2025. CEO Carlos Tavares released very few details about the new vehicle or its nameplate this week. All we know is it’s going to be a little more affordable than the rest of the Jeep lineup.
“If you ask me what is an affordable BEV, I would say 20,000 euros in Europe and $25,000 in the U.S. So our job is to bring the safe, clean and affordable BEV to the U.S., $25,000. We’ll do it.”- Tavares
We assume this new, more affordable option is in response to the Wagoneer S. The current 2024 Wagoneer has an MSRP of $62,945 (plus destination fee), ending at $86,320 (plus destination fee) Series III before adding any options or buying any packages. If the pattern of electrified vehicles being more expensive than their gasoline counterpart, then we can expect the Wagoneer S to be closer to $100,000 to start. Only consumers looking for high class luxury can afford that, and it will only hurt Jeep sales in the long run. To reach a wider consumer base, producing a more affordable BEV is the right call.
Overseas, the Jeep Avenger is cruising the streets of Europe, and costs close to $37,800 (converted from euros). Now that the 4xe lineup is complete, it’s time for the off-road automaker to expand and follow the new theme of Stellantis to go all-electric. According to the Dare Forward 2030 business strategy, more than 75 BEVs are currently planned for release, with 25 of those all-new BEVs set to hit the U.S. market. The first new BEV to be unveiled was the Ram 1500 REV, followed by the Dodge Daytona SRT BEV, and then the Chrysler Halcyon concept. Surely, Jeep wouldn’t be too far behind.
Could it be the Jeep Recon? Maybe a callback to its original roots in the military and used for travel and reconnaissance, the shorthand term “Recon” makes sense. We have only a single image to go by when it comes to looks at the moment. The Jeep manufacturer’s website has a video, but it won’t load as far as we know. We’ve tried multiple times on multiple browsers. The image above seems to be a much more compact SUV than we’re used to, and continues the seven-slot theme of the lineup. Aside from that, the Recon is a mysterious as its moniker.
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