Jeep's first all-electric SUV worldwide for $72,000

NEW YORK – The first all-electric Jeep SUV for the United States will be the Wagoneer S, which will start at approximately $72,000 when it goes on sale this fall.

He stellantisThe privately held brand revealed the vehicle and pricing on Thursday, billing it as a “new chapter” for the quintessential American SUV brand that has struggled with domestic sales in recent years.

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

Filosa, who began leading Jeep in December, said the brand is in “fantastic shape” but is in the midst of a “transition like all car brands today” that involves electrification.

Despite slower-than-expected EV adoption in the U.S., Filosa said the brand is not worried about consumer adoption due to its addition to the Jeep lineup, which will continue to offer traditional SUVs to gasoline, plug-in hybrid and “extended” electric vehicles. “range” electric vehicles starting next year.

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

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

Filosa said the less expensive Wagoneer S models will be released approximately six months after the Launch Edition.

The Wagoneer S EV's $71,995 starting price falls between the gasoline versions of the Wagoneer, which start at about $63,000, and the more luxurious Grand Wagoneer, which starts at about $92,000.

Jeep will also introduce a new, unnamed midsize SUV next year to replace its discontinued Cherokee, Filosa said.

He also said the company will launch extended-range electric versions of the traditional gasoline-powered Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer in 2025. The technology, which uses a gasoline engine as a generator in addition to electric vehicle batteries, is expected to debut in the upcoming Ram pickup truck. Ramcharger.

The Wagoneer S is the start of what Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares this week called the automaker's electric vehicle offensive for the U.S., which includes six to eight all-electric vehicles this year.

“There is a tremendous amount of opportunity here in the United States. We are just beginning our electrification offensive,” Tavares said Wednesday during a Bernstein investor conference.

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

For years, Tavares has spoken openly about the company being forced to produce electric vehicles, which cost 40% more, due to regulatory requirements rather than consumer demand. On Wednesday, he described electric vehicles as a “cost-cutting exercise” to ensure they are profitable.

Electric vehicles are a shift for Jeep in the U.S., where the brand has focused on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, such as its Wrangler and Grand Cherokee SUVs. Plug-in vehicles accounted for 17.5% of Jeep sales this year.

Filosa said Jeep, which is currently No. 1 in PHEVs in the U.S., hopes to continue growing sales of those vehicles in addition to upcoming electric vehicles.

“So far, electrification has worked very well for us. Basically,” he said during the launch event, “we built the PHEV industry. We own this part of the market.”

Stellantis' total PHEV sales in the United States last year were nearly 143,000, an increase of 124% compared to 2022. Leading the way was Jeep, including 67,429 Jeep Wranglers and 45,684 Jeep Grand Cherokee “4xe” SUVs.

Jeep is using the 4xe badge as a play on the brand's off-road reputation combined with electrification, including EVs and PHEVs.

The Wagoneer S is Jeep's first “global” electric vehicle, according to the company. The Jeep brand's first electric model, called the Avenger, a small SUV with a starting price of about 35,000 euros, or about $37,800, went on sale last year in Europe.

The Wagoneer S, which will be produced at a plant in Mexico, is based on Stellantis' large electric vehicle platform, which is expected to underpin eight vehicles for the company between 2024 and 2026.

Despite sharing the “Wagoneer” name with Jeep's current gasoline model, the two-row, five-passenger electric vehicle shares little with its traditional three-row internal combustion engine counterpart, aside from Jeep styling.

The most notable difference on the exterior is a more modern interpretation of the brand's iconic seven-slot grille, which the electric vehicle doesn't actually need to cool. It is indented and the slots are solid and interconnected with each other compared to seven separate slots.

“We reinvented the traditional seven-slot grille,” said Ralph Gilles, chief designer at Stellantis. “I'm very proud of this.”

The Wagoneer S also features a large “R-Wing”, an open spoiler on the rear of the SUV. Gilles said the goal was not to make a “jellybean” like many electric vehicles with good aerodynamics currently sold in the US.

The Wagoneer S is much less boxy than the gasoline model, making it the most aerodynamic Jeep ever produced by the brand, the company said.

Gilles said the Wagoneer name is more representative of the vehicle's luxury than a singular design.

Inside the vehicle are more than 45 inches of screens, including a 12.3-inch center screen, and a mix of metal, faux leather and other sustainable materials.

Gilles, a longtime renowned car designer at the company, said wood was banned from the vehicle's interior. It also does not feature any chrome on the exterior of the SUV. Those decisions were made following input from younger designers to make the vehicle more sustainable and attractive to younger buyers.

“If we are going to be an environmentally friendly vehicle, we had to rethink the interior materials,” Gilles said. “There was a big push for sustainable materials everywhere.”