Jeep confirms switch to hybrid or full electric drivetrain by 2022

By Unsealed 4X4 3 Min Read

Jeep confirms it will switch to hybrid or full-electric drivetrain on all models from 2022 casting further doubt on whether the Gladiator will be offered with a diesel engine in Australia.

Words by Dave Morley: Jeep has announced that every one of its models will use either a hybrid or fully electric driveline by 2022.

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But where does that leave Australian four-wheel-drivers? Jeep’s global president, Christian Meunier, confirmed the plan at the recent international launch of the new Gladiator, throwing further into doubt the future of the diesel engine.

Mr Meunier said that the first electric Jeep would surface next year, and that all Jeep models would be powered either by a plug-in hybrid or battery-electric driveline.

But even though the plug-in hybrid versions would still feature an internal combustion engine, the speculation is that would most likely be a petrol unit.

Other brands have declared an end-date for diesel-powered models, and most hybrids around the world use a petrol powerplant.

The new Gladiator will also be available only in petrol form when it lands in the second quarter of next year, while Jeep management refuses to confirm nor deny any plan to make a turbo-diesel optional on the Gladiator in the future.

Mr Meunier said that the plug-in models for 2022 and beyond would have a 50km range on purely electric power. He also promised that a Jeep with a hybrid or battery-electric driveline would still be “100 per cent Jeep, 100 per cent truck.”

“We want Jeep to be the greenest SUV brand in the world. That’s our mission.”

But that will be little comfort to Australian Jeep buyers who value the range offered by a turbo-diesel driveline.

The move to electrification is largely due to the demands of the European market where car-makers are under ever increasing pressure to reduce tailpipe emissions.

Jeep had previously announced that it would release four all-electric and 10 plug-in hybrid models by 2022, but the latest statement confirms that all Jeep models would feature electric propulsion of some sort by that date.


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