The Land Rover Defender rival is a sibling to the fabled Wrangler
Hardcore off-roader to get removable doors and 373-mile range in EV form, but unlikely to be pure-ICE
The Jeep Recon off-roader could be offered with a hybrid powertrain as well as an electric one when it arrives in 2025, according to new brand boss Antonio Filosa.
The Land Rover Defender rival was revealed in concept form as an electric sibling to the fabled Wrangler, which is currently offered with petrol and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
As with the Wrangler, the Recon will be engineered to offer considerable off-road ability and feature removable doors, together with around 600bhp and a range of 373 miles.
The Recon will arrive at a similar time to the Wagoneer S, a luxury flagship with a more road-going focus. Both were previewed as bespoke electric cars based on Stellantis’s STLA Large platform.
In response to the slowdown in growth of EV sales, Jeep recently launched a petrol-engined version of the Avenger electric crossover in the UK.
Fellow Stellantis brand Fiat did the same with the closely related 600 and is said to be developing an ICE powertrain for the currently electric-only 500. Asked whether that slowdown could prompt ICE versions of the Wagoneer S and Recon, Filosa said: “So far, our plan is BEV only.”
But he added: “Wagoneer S will stay BEV-only, for sure. But [while] being faithful to our main strategy of deep electrification, we can think about opportunities on Recon. Let’s see: Recon will be built on a platform that is very versatile.”
Filosa said it was unlikely that the Recon would be offered with a pure-petrol engine, hinting that any ICE-equipped model would likely be a hybrid.
He added: “We are just studying [development on the Recon] and just analysing if there are options for the future – but so far it’s BEV.”
Filosa reiterated Stellantis’s commitment to its current electrification strategy, with the goal of electric cars accounting for 100% of sales in Europe, 50% in the US and 20% in South America by 2030.
“We are very versatile in our platforms, and while many of our competitors are only strong in one continent, we are strong in the rest of the world,” he said, highlighting that Brazil – which is focusing on ethanol fuel – is Jeep’s second largest market behind the US.
“To keep our strengths in those regions, we need to invest in other possibilities [than electric], and since we have those investments running, we can adopt them immediately for other regions.
“But our strategy is going 100% electric in Europe. If the political leaders of Europe decide differently, then we will need to adapt, and we will adapt very fast.”
