Jeep’s first global all-electric SUV is $72,000

“It represents a lot. It’s the first global one [all-electric vehicle] Built in North America, designed in America … for the world,” Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa told CNBC during an interview after revealing the vehicle. “This is a milestone in our history.”

Filosa, who began leading Jeep in December, said the brand was in “fantastic shape” but was in the midst of “a transition like all auto brands these days” involving electrification.

Despite slower-than-expected adoption of EVs in the U.S., the Filosa brand isn’t worried about consumer adoption, as its addition to Jeep’s lineup includes traditional gas-powered SUVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and “extended-range” electric vehicles starting next year.

The “Launch Edition” of the Wagoneer S will initially be available with a 400-volt, 100-kilowatt-hour battery pack capable of more than 300 miles of range on a single charge, 600 horsepower and 617 pound-feet of torque from 0-to-6. Acceleration to 60 mph is 3.4 seconds. It is capable of charging from 20%-80% in 23 minutes using a DC fast charger, according to the company.

Jeep also revealed the Trailhawk off-road performance concept of the EV, which Filosa said “hopefully will become a product soon.”

Filosa said the low-cost models of the Wagoneer S will be launched around six months after the launch edition.

The Wagoneer S EV’s $71,995 starting price sits between gas-powered versions of the Wagoneer, starting around $63,000 and starting at around $92,000, and the more luxurious Grand Wagoneer.

Jeep will replace its discontinued Cherokee with an unnamed new midsize SUV next year, Filosa said.

He also said that by 2025, the company will launch electric, extended versions of the traditional gas-powered Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Technology that uses an engine as a gas-powered generator in addition to EV batteries is expected to debut. to come Ram Ramcharger pickup truck.

The Wagoneer S is the start of what Stellandis CEO Carlos Tavares said this week is the automaker’s EV offensive for the U.S., including six to eight electric vehicles this year.

“There’s a lot of opportunity in the U.S. and we’re starting our electrification offensive,” Tavares said Wednesday during a Bernstein investor conference.

As for Jeep, the Wagoneer S is expected to be followed later this year by a Wrangler-inspired off-road vehicle called the Recon and a new roughly $25,000 EV is expected “very soon,” Tavares said Wednesday, without providing further details.

For years, Tavares has been outspoken about the company being forced to produce EVs, which are 40% more expensive, due to regulatory requirements and not consumer demand. On Wednesday, he described EVs as a “cost-cutting exercise” to ensure the vehicles remain profitable.

EVs are a shift for Jeep in the U.S., where the brand focuses on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles or PHEVs like its Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs. Plug-in vehicles accounted for 17.5% of Jeep’s sales this year.

Jeep, currently the No. 1 PHEV in the U.S., expects to continue to increase sales of those vehicles in addition to the upcoming EVs, Filosa said.

“Electrification is working very well for us so far. Basically,” he said during the unveiling event, “we created the PHEV industry. We own this part of the market.

Stellantis’ total PHEV US sales were 143,000 last year, up 124% compared to 2022. Jeep led the way, including 67,429 Jeep Wrangler and 45,684 Jeep Grand Cherokee “4xe” SUVs.

Jeep uses 4xe badging as a play on the brand’s off-road reputation coupled with electrification, including EVs and PHEVs.

The Vaughan S is Jeep’s first “universal” EV, according to the company. The Jeep brand’s first EV model, the Avenger, a compact SUV that starts at around 35,000 euros, or about $37,800, went on sale in Europe last year.

Produced at a plant in Mexico, the Wagoneer S is based on Stellantis’ larger EV platform. Eight vehicles 2024-2026 for the company.

Although it shares the “Wagoneer” name with Jeep’s current gas-powered model, the five-passenger, two-row EV shares little with its three-row traditional internal combustion engine, other than some Jeep styling.

The most noticeable difference on the exterior is a modern interpretation of the brand’s iconic seven-slot grill, which the EV doesn’t actually need cooling for. It is indented and the slots are solid and interlocked compared to seven separate slots.

“We’ve reinvented the traditional seven-slot grill,” said Ralph Gilles, president of Stellandis Design. “I’m very proud of it.”

The Wagoneer S also features a large “R-Wing”, an open spoiler at the rear of the SUV. The goal, Gilles said, is not to produce a “jellybean” like many EVs with good aerodynamics currently sold in the U.S.

The Wagoneer S is less boxy than the petrol model, helping it to be the most aerodynamic Jeep ever produced by the brand, according to the company.

Gilles said the Wagoneer name reflects the luxury of the vehicle rather than a singular design.

Inside the vehicle is a 12.3-inch center display and 45-inch screens including a mix of metal, faux leather and other standard materials.

Gilles, the company’s long-renowned car designer, said wood was banned from the interior of the vehicle. It does not feature any chrome on the exterior of the SUV. Those decisions followed input from younger designers to make the vehicle more sustainable and attractive to more youthful buyers.

“If it’s a green vehicle, we have to rethink what’s inside,” Gilles said. “There was a big push for sustainable materials everywhere.”