Jeep to launch three new SUVs in the UK by 2030
A three-model offensive from Jeep will feature two compact SUVs and a big flagship model co-developed with Dongfeng...
Jeep will launch three new models for the European market over the next four years, including two small SUVs, plus a new large SUV developed alongside Chinese firm Dongfeng.
The three new models will all be available with multiple types of power, and each will have an off-road-ready four-wheel-drive option. The two new small SUVs will sit above the current Avenger, but below the mid-size Compass, while the new large SUV will be bigger than all those models.
The first of the two small SUVs will be a similar size to the likes of the Audi Q2 and Volkswagen T-Cross. Jeep confirmed that this car will be wider than those cars, with more 'SUV style’, building on the brand’s off-road credentials.
Meanwhile, the other small SUV is described as being closer in size to the Compass. With slightly smaller dimensions than that car, it would count the Volkswagen T-Roc among its key rivals.
Both cars will be based on parent company Stellantis’s new STLA One underpinnings, a scalable architecture capable of supporting a range of vehicle sizes from small hatchbacks like the Vauxhall Corsa to large seven-seat SUVs like the Peugeot 5008.
According to Stellantis, it will feature cell-to-body integration of the battery, which should reduce costs and complexity. It also is capable of facilitating steer-by-wire technology, where the mechanical connection between the steering wheel and wheels is replaced by an electrical one, plus a new software system called STLA Brain.
Executives at Jeep implied that the new STLA One technology will be developed as global underpinnings that will have Jeep-specific elements, such as off-road capabilities, without the need for it to be adapted for different models.
The new large SUV will be bigger than the current Jeep Compass, and will be produced in a joint venture with Chinese partner Dongfeng. It will be built on Dongfeng-developed underpinnings in China, but will be fully designed by Jeep, and, like other Jeeps, will be engineered with a focus on off-roading. Dongfeng is already collaborating with Stellantis on two new Peugeot models to be built in China.
Like the smaller SUVs, the new large SUV will feature a variety of power options, one of which will be a plug-in hybrid. Described by Jeep as a D-segment SUV, it could be a similar size to the Peugeot 5008 and Skoda Kodiaq.
What Car? previously reported that Jeep was planning to bring its all-electric Recon and Wagoneer S SUVs to the UK market, but neither of these were mentioned in Jeep’s lineup rejig – meaning these plans could have been shelved for now.
The new Dongfeng-developed model will be the largest SUV Jeep offers in Europe when it arrives. When asked whether the brand has any plans to bring the Wrangler back after taking it off sale in Europe due to emissions regulations, Jeep said it was looking for solutions to reintroduce it in the future.
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