Jeep’s first EV will be a Nissan Qashqai-sized crossover – and it’s been caught without any camouflage.
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 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 (below), 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.
Felix Page