Jeep Unveils All-Electric Wagoneer S in EV Offensive with Prices Starting at $72,000

NEW YORK – Jeep’s first all-electric SUV in the U.S. will be the 2024 Wagoneer S, which will start at around $72,000 when it goes on sale this fall.

The StellarThe company-owned brand revealed the vehicle and price on Thursday, presenting it as a “novel chapter” for the quintessentially American SUV brand that has struggled with domestic sales in recent years.

“It means a lot. This is the first global result [all-electric vehicle] made in North America, designed in the USA… for the world,” Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa said in an interview with CNBC after unveiling the vehicle. “This is a milestone in our history.”

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

Despite a slower-than-expected adoption of electric vehicles in the U.S., Filosa said the brand is not concerned about consumer adoption as its addition to the Jeep lineup, which will continue to offer established gas-powered SUVs, plug-in hybrid electric vehicles and ” extended “range” of electric vehicles from next year.

The “Launch Edition” of the Wagoneer S will initially be available with a 400-volt, 100-kilowatt-hour battery that will allow for more than 500 miles of range on a single charge, with 600 horsepower and 617 pound-feet of torque for a 0-60 start. . Acceleration to 60 mph in 3.4 seconds. According to the company, it can be charged from 20% to 80% in 23 minutes using a DC speedy charger.

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

Filosa said lower-priced Wagoneer S models will begin rolling out about six months after the Launch Edition.

The Wagoneer S EV’s starting price of $71,995 falls between gas-powered versions of the Wagoneer, starting at around $63,000, and the more luxurious Grand Wagoneer, starting at around $92,000.

Filosa said Jeep will introduce a novel, unnamed mid-size SUV next year to replace the discontinued Cherokee.

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

The Wagoneer S is the beginning of what Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares called this week the automaker’s electric vehicle offensive in the U.S., which will include six to eight fully electric vehicles this year.

“There are huge opportunities opening up in the US. We are just starting our electrification offensive,” Tavares said on Wednesday during an investor conference in Bernstein.

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

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

Electric vehicles are a game-changer for Jeep in the U.S., where the brand is focusing on plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHEVs, such as the 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 the U.S. PHEV market, expects sales of those vehicles to continue to grow in addition to upcoming electric vehicles.

“Electrification is working very, very well for us so far. Basically,” he said at the reveal event, “we built the PHEV industry. We own this part of the market.

Total U.S. sales of Stellantis PHEVs last year were nearly 143,000, an augment of 124% compared to 2022. Jeep brands led the way, including 67,429 Jeep Wrangler SUVs and 45,684 Jeep Grand Cherokee “4xe” .

Jeep is using the 4xe badge as a play on the brand’s off-road reputation in conjunction with electrification, which includes EVs and PHEVs.

According to the company, the Wagoneer S is Jeep’s first “global” electric vehicle. Jeep’s first electric model, called the Avenger, a miniature SUV that starts at about 35,000 euros, or about $37,800, went on sale in Europe last year.

The Wagoneer S, which will be produced at a plant in Mexico, is based on Stellantis’ immense electric vehicle platform, which is expected to underpin eight vehicles for the company for the years 2024-2026.

Despite sharing the “Wagoneer” name with Jeep’s current gas-powered model, the five-passenger, two-row electric vehicle shares little in common with its three-row, established combustion engine counterpart, aside from some Jeep styling.

The most noticeable difference on the outside is a more current interpretation of the iconic seven-slot grille, which isn’t really needed for cooling in an electric car. It is indented and the sockets are solid and interconnected compared to the seven separate sockets.

“We have reinvented the established seven-slot grille,” said Ralph Gilles, Stellantis design head. “I’m damn proud of it.”

The Wagoneer S also has a immense “R-Wing” – an open spoiler at the rear of the SUV. Gilles said the goal was not to create a “jelly bean” like many electric vehicles with good aerodynamics currently sold in the U.S.

The Wagoneer S is significantly less boxy than the gasoline model, which makes it the most aerodynamic Jeep ever produced by the brand, the company claims.

Gilles said the Wagoneer name reflects the vehicle’s luxury more than a single design.

There are over 45 inches of screens inside the vehicle, including a 12.3-inch center display and a combination of metal, artificial leather and other sustainable materials.

Gilles, a longtime renowned car designer at the company, said the employ of wood in the vehicle’s interior was banned. There are also no chrome elements on the exterior of the SUV. These decisions were made following suggestions from younger designers to make the vehicle more sustainable and attractive to younger buyers.

“If this is going to be an eco-friendly vehicle, we had to rethink the interior materials,” Gilles said. “There was a huge focus on sustainable materials everywhere.”