Jeep Says It Will Electrify All Its Vehicles by 2022
“The mission is: greenest SUV brand in the world.”
Jeep global president Christian Meunier shook up the automotive community by promising that every model in Jeep’s lineup, including the Gladiator, will get either a plug-in hybrid or all-electric variant by 2022.
CarsGuide, an Australia-based online car marketplace, first reported on Meunier’s claim, which was made during an open address at a Jeep event in Queenstown, New Zealand.
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“We’re going to really accelerate the electrification of Jeep. We’re going to do that very, very quickly,” Meunier said.
“The mission is: greenest SUV brand in the world, that’s our mission, but also the most capable and the most fun to drive off-road and on-road. We want to make it more of a sustainable, iconic brand, not only an off-road brand.”
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This is a fairly dramatic development for an automaker that currently doesn’t offer any electrified vehicles in the United States, though a hybrid Wrangler has been confirmed for a 2020 launch. As Jalopnik notes, the Renegade and Compass are already offered as a plug-in in Europe.
“We want to make it more of a sustainable, iconic brand, not only an off-road brand,” Meunier continued per Car Advice, reiterating that Jeep’s goal is to make vehicles that are equally suited to off-road terrain and pavement.
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“Expand the capability off-road into more of on-road capability, all-weather capability, and fully sustainable and I think that’s why when I said we want to become the greenest SUV brand in the world, we mean it and that is what the company is going to deliver.”
Porsche made a similar announcement earlier this year. On the heels of the Tesla-rivaling Taycan EV’s launch, the German marque promised that by 2025, all new vehicles—which will represent half its fleet—will have an electric drivetrain.
If the notion of Jeep as a green brand doesn’t sit right, don’t worry. Badass vehicles like this “extreme military-grade” Gladiator are also in the pipeline.