Automotive Engineering - October 2022 - 17

ROAD READY
Jeep springs its first BEVs
Four all-new, battery-electric models
will spearhead Jeep's plan to electrify
100% of its product lineup by 2025, the
Stellantis brand announced on Sept. 7.
The quartet of BEVs includes the
4-door Jeep Recon and an electric
Wagoneer code-named Wagoneer S, to
be built in North America, and the Jeep
Avenger, a compact 5-door SUV that
will be built and sold in Europe. Jeep
executives noted a fourth new BEV
model also is in the near-term launch
pipeline but provided no details.
The Avenger enters production next
year, with Recon and the Wagoneer S
following in 2024, said Christian
Meunier, Jeep brand CEO. The " 4xe "
used to delineate Jeep's current range
of plug-in hybrid vehicles will also serve
as an umbrella for the new batteryelectric
models, with Meunier explaining
that " 4xe is a forward-thinking strategy "
aimed at transforming Jeep into
" the leading electrified SUV brand in
the world " (www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel).
The BEV escalation aims for
100% of Jeep's European sales and 50%
of U.S. sales to be all-electric by 2030,
in line with Stellantis's corporate netzero
carbon emissions-reduction target.
Jeep currently manufactures two
PHEVs, the Wrangler and Grand
Cherokee. The plug-in Wrangler is the
top-selling PHEV in North America, according
to Jim Morrison, head of the
Jeep brand in the region.
Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S BEVs
Picking up the Recon badge from a current
Wrangler off-roading package,
Jeep creates a vehicle that fits in the
product lineup between Wrangler and
Cherokee, but " definitely inspired by
Wrangler, " noted Ralph Gilles, Stellantis
chief design officer, during the vehicle
reveal. Recon's removable doors and
glass, power-operated retractable top,
locking electronic drive axles, extensively
skid-plated underbody and
U-Connect telematics should serve it
well as a Ford Bronco fighter - one
with no tailpipe emissions. Jeep Recon
will be sold in major global markets.
AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERING
The premium 5-door midsize electric
Wagoneer S is expected to share elements
of its modular battery and propulsion
system with those of Recon,
according to Stellantis engineering
sources who spoke with SAE Media. The
longer-overall Wagoneer will carry a
larger, more energy-dense battery pack
that Meunier said will help it deliver an
estimated 400 miles' (644 km) range
on a single charge. Generating an estimated
600 hp (447 kW) peak, the electric
Wagoneer S will be capable of 0-60
mph (96 km/h) acceleration in around
3.5 seconds, he said.
Gilles highlighted the focus on aerodynamic
efficiency in the Wagoneer S exterior
design, including a notably EV-like
nose (fitted with a very narrow, LED-lit
take on Jeep's slotted grill) and a slicklyJeep
Recon offers a pushbutton
retractable roof. Exterior door hinges
ease door removal for open-air driving.
Code-named
Wagoneer S,
the first electric
premium Jeep SUV
features a new
focus on advanced
aerodynamics.
executed " wing " at the rear roof/backlight
intersection that harkens to the
classic Dodge Daytona and Plymouth
Superbird, albeit in lower-profile form.
Jeep Avenger for Europe
By the end of 2022, Jeep's product range
will be 100% electrified in nearly all
European markets. The entire range will
be BEV by 2030, the company promises.
First revealed in early 2022, the
Avenger compact SUV will be produced
in Stellantis's Tychy, Poland, plant and
sold across Europe and in Japan and
South Korea, as well as other markets.
Vehicle range per full charge is targeted
at roughly 250 miles (400 km). Avenger
will debut October 17 at the Paris Motor
Show and go on sale in early 2023.
Lindsay Brooke
October 2022 17
BOTH IMAGES: JEEP
http://www.youtube.com/thejeep-channel
Automotive Engineering - October 2022

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