Jeep will soon reveal its new electric baby crossover, along with its official nameplate.
Jeep will ramp up the electrification of its line-up with an entry-level SUV to sit below the Jeep Renegade – and the electric version has been caught with no disguise during a film shoot.
A name for the American brand’s newest model has not been revealed yet and details are scarce, but it is expected to be related to the Peugeot 2008, given the similarities in size and positioning, and the platform-sharing arrangements in place at Stellantis, parent company to both.
This all-electric version should, therefore, be a close relation to the electric Peugeot E-2008 – and is tipped to use Stellantis’s CMP architecture, as used for EV and combustion versions of the similarly sized Vauxhall Mokka and DS 3 Crossback.
The EV was shown earlier this year as part of a wide-reaching electrification strategy presentation given by Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares, and this newly spotted production-ready version looks to hold largely true to that render – with heavily flared arches, Jeep’s trademark seven-slot grille, chunky black cladding and a two-tone paint job.
It is clearly more urban-oriented than Jeep’s full-sized SUVs, and could even be lined up as a replacement for the Renegade, which is approaching its eigtht birthday.
Jeep CEO Christian Meunier recently confirmed the company will add a pure-electric model in “every major SUV segment” by 2025, by which point 70 per cent of its global sales will be electrified.
The baby SUV will sit at the bottom of the range, as part of a five-car line-up. It will also be offered in hybrid form – as previewed by recently spotted test mules with visible exhaust pipes.
Jeep’s core values are applied to a Fiat-based compact crossover, but established rivals like the Mazda CX-5, Nissan Qashqai and Skoda Yeti have set the bar rather high
Expected to be revealed this year and launched in 2023, it will be one of 100 new products to be launched by Stellantis between now and 2030. Overall, Stellantis will launch 75 new battery-electric models by 2030, and be selling five million annually by that point.
Felix Page