Jeep wants to become ‘greenest SUV brand’

Jeep explores the path of electrification and finds it tastes like more. The merger of parent company FCA with Groupe PSA should play an important role in creating a more future-oriented Jeep.

Few car brands have such an American image as Jeep. Then you automatically also think of things that are no longer very contemporary; big, heavy, gas-guzzling cars. Jeep is already gently changing in that regard. Consider, for example, the arrival of the plug-in hybrid versions of the Compass, Renegade and even the Wrangler. If it’s up to CEO Christian Meunier, Jeep will shift to the next gear in electrification: “We want to become the greenest SUV brand in the world. That is our ambition”, Automotive News on.

Strong words, to which, according to Meunier, concrete actions can also be added thanks to the merger of FCA and PSA. “There is a lot of potential there in terms of powertrains, platforms and cost savings,” said the CEO. After all, PSA has already taken important steps with fully electric cars and Jeep can benefit from this in the long run if it falls under the merged group Stellantis. Although big boys like the Grand Cherokee and Wagoneer will probably still be of American descent, there is a good chance, for example, that the next Compass and Renegade will be on a (partly) electric basis developed by PSA. The eVMP platform, perhaps. Earlier it was announced that compact cars of the brands that are currently still under FCA will make use of this.

According to Meunier, electric drive is a very good replacement for strong fuel engines when it comes to off-road performance: “Extra exceptional torque and acceleration, it fits perfectly with Jeep. Electrification and Jeep are meant for each other.” With that, the CEO reiterates the words of Jeep’s chief designer, Mark Allen. He already declared last spring that electric drive is ‘great for off-road vehicles’. The fact that GMC Hummer breathed new life into a fully electric model, for example, is a striking example.

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