Jeep unveils fully electric Wagoneer S as part of EV offensive, starting at $72,000

“It means a lot. It’s the first global (all-electric) vehicle built in North America, designed in the United States… for the world,” Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa told CNBC at an interview after revealing the vehicle. “This is an important 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 today” involving the electrification.

Despite slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles in the United States, Filosa said the brand isn’t worried about consumer adoption as its addition to the Jeep lineup, which will continue to offer traditional SUVs at gasoline, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and “extended electric vehicles”. long-range electric vehicles from next year.

A “launch edition” of the Wagoneer S will initially be available with a 400-volt, 100-kilowatt-hour battery capable of traveling more than 300 miles on a single charge, 600 horsepower and 617 pound-feet of torque for 0-60 mph acceleration of 3.4 seconds. It is capable of charging from 20 to 80 percent in 23 minutes using a DC Fast charger, according to the company.

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

Filosa said lower-priced models of the Wagoneer S would begin shipping about six months after the launch edition.

The Wagoneer S EV’s $71,995 starting price falls between gasoline versions of the Wagoneer, starting around $63,000, and the more luxurious Grand Wagoneer, starting around $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 would launch range-extended 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 EV batteries, is expected to debut on the next pickup truck. Ram Ramcharger.

The Wagoneer S is the start of what Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares this week called the automaker’s EV offensive in the United States, including six to eight all-electric vehicles this year.

“There’s a tremendous amount of opportunity here in the United States. We’re just beginning our electrification offensive,” Tavares said Wednesday at a Bernstein investor conference.

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

For years, Tavares has been open about the company being forced to produce electric vehicles, which cost 40 percent more, because of regulatory requirements, not consumer demand. On Wednesday, he described electric vehicles as a “cost-cutting exercise” to ensure vehicles are profitable.

Electric vehicles represent a shift for Jeep in the United States, where the brand has focused on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, like 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 United States, plans to continue to increase sales of these vehicles in addition to upcoming electric vehicles.

“So far, electrification has worked very well. Basically,” he said at the reveal event, “we built the PHEV industry. We own that part of the market.

Stellantis’ total PHEV sales in the United States last year were nearly 143,000 units, up 124% from 2022. Jeep led, with 67,429 Jeep Wranglers and 45,684 Jeep SUVs Grand Cherokee “4xe”.

Jeep uses the 4xe badge to play on the brand’s off-road reputation, combined with electrification, including electric and plug-in vehicles.

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

The Wagoneer S, which will be produced at a factory in Mexico, is based on Stellantis’ large EV platform, which is expected to support eight of the company’s vehicles between 2024 and 2026.

Although it shares the “Wagoneer” name with Jeep’s current gasoline model, the five-seat, two-row electric vehicle shares little with its traditional three-row internal combustion engine counterpart, except of a certain Jeep style.

The most noticeable difference on the exterior is a more modern interpretation of the brand’s iconic seven-slot grille, which the EV doesn’t actually need for cooling. It is recessed and the pitches are solid and interconnected to each other compared to seven separate pitches.

“We have reinvented the traditional seven-slot grille,” said Ralph Gilles, head of design at Stellantis. “I’m so proud of that.”

The Wagoneer S also features a large “R-Wing,” an open spoiler at 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 United States.

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

Gilles said the Wagoneer name is more representative of the luxury of the vehicle rather 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 durable materials.

Gilles, a long-time renowned automotive designer at the company, said wood was banned inside the vehicle. It also doesn’t feature any chrome on the exterior of the SUV. These decisions were made following the contribution of young designers aimed at making the vehicle more durable and more attractive to younger buyers.

“For it to be an eco-friendly vehicle, we need to rethink the materials inside,” Gilles said. “Everywhere there has been a huge push for sustainable materials.”