Fiat Chrysler revealed that the Jeep Wrangler 4xe will be a battery-powered hybrid car and fully electric powertrains in its entire lineup.
Reported by the company's official website, Sunday, September 6, 2020, the plug-in rechargeable Wrangler will go on sale in America, Europe and China early next year.
A key driver of the new offering is the FCA's obligation to meet fuel economy and pollution regulations in Europe, China and the US, so that it won't face heavy fines or high fees for buying electric vehicle loans from companies like Tesla.
Jeep president Christian Meunier acknowledged the move to electric Jeeps was done partly to meet regulatory requirements, but also because there was a market for them.
He said driving by electric car in extreme areas such as forests is a big draw for many buyers who want to travel quietly and without pollution.
Meunier said the company was working on a plan to place solar charging stations near the trail.
"There are a lot of Jeep owners, people who go off-road, who also want to preserve the environment in which they go off-road," said Guidehouse analyst Sam Abuelsamid.
Fiat Chrysler and Jeep, are arguably late in the electric vehicle market. While rivals Ford and General Motors are launching an "all-new" electric vehicle, Fiat Chrysler's only battery-powered offering in the US currently is the Chrysler Pacifica hybrid minivan.
The Wrangler 4xe, which will hit showrooms early next year, will have 375 hp if the electric and gas motors are used at the same time, and the company says it will get the equivalent of 21.3 kilometers per liter. It can also run in hybrid mode, switching between gasoline and electric for maximum efficiency.
Fiat Chrysler says Jeep will have an electric option in each of its vehicles in the next few years. Already introduced the small SUV Compass and Renegade plug-in in Europe.
It's uncertain when the smaller plug-in Jeep will enter the US market, Meunier said. "The market is not fully ripe for the smaller segment, but we are still looking at that," he said.
The market in the US is also unclear for the Wrangler plug-in, or any electric vehicle, Abuelsamid said. Last year in the US, only 310,000 fully electric plug-in hybrid vehicles were sold, less than 2 percent of the market.
Meunier said the FCA is working on a fully electric Wrangler, but he would not say when it will arrive. "I think the market is right if you present the right technology at the right price," he said.
The price for the plug-in hybrid was not disclosed. The four-door model for the Wrangler 2021 starts at US $ 31,795.
Fiat Chrysler also announced that the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer full-size SUVs will return next year. The company is showing off the Grand Wagoneer concept vehicle with a fully electric powertrain.
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September 06, 2020
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