Jeep has confirmed it will launch a fresh assault on the Australian market, led by its new wave of electric SUVs.
Jeep Brand CEO Christian Meunier told Australian media, including CarsGuide, at the Detroit Motor Show that the recently previewed Recon and Wagoneer S electric models are confirmed for the local market, and the compact Avenger is under consideration.
When asked if Jeep was committed to its Australian future, Mr Meunier was categorical.
“Completely,” he said. “The right-hand drive strategy is clear, we’re investing for Japan, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa.”
He said Australia’s greater uptake of electric vehicles in recent years has made the brand confident that its new models will be popular Down Under.
“The Recon and the Wagoneer S … are secured for Australia,” Mr Meunier explained. “Obviously Australia was very much behind two, three years ago [with] electrification. It was not even a question, and when I talked to the local team, it was ‘electrification, not really interesting’.
“And I kept questioning, questioning, questioning, and look at what happened in the meantime. Obviously New Zealand is going 100 per cent full speed ahead and Australia is catching up. Australia’s going to get there.”
Mr Meunier went a step further and made it clear that Jeep is committed to building right-hand drive vehicles, despite General Motors decision to pull out of such markets including Australia, and highlighted the growing Indian market as a key.
“The future models, for the vast majority of the products, will be right-hand drive as well. We want to grow our business in India and Asia-Pacific,” he said.
The only question mark of the three recently-revealed Jeep 4xe electric models is the Avenger, a compact SUV targeted for the European market and set to be built in Italy.
Despite already being confirmed for right-hand drive production, Mr Meunier was non-committal. Perhaps the brand is still unsure if Australian consumers want a compact Jeep model after the failure of the Renegade to find a strong audience locally.
“Avenger is going to go to the UK, it’s going to go to Japan, and we’re looking at maybe Australia if there’s a market for it,” Mr Meunier said. “But right now, it’s still not locked in.”
One model that is likely to come though, is the long-awaited replacement for the Cherokee mid-size SUV. Despite the introduction of the similar-sized Recon, the Jeep boss made it clear that he believes there’s still plenty of scope to have a pair of mid-size models. He also teased it will likely come with an all-electric option.
“It’s the largest segment in the world, so that keeps me up at night,” he said. “That product [current Cherokee] obviously is getting smaller and smaller in volume. I’d say that the current product is getting less and less competitive in the segment; it’s a very competitive segment. We’re working on a replacement… we’ve announced two of the four BEVs, so stay tuned.”
It’s understood the most likely scenario for the Cherokee is for it to be offered with both a fully-electric and a plug-in hybrid powertrain – both of which fall under the Jeep 4xe branding – which would widen its appeal and create differentiation with the electric-only Recon.
One model ruled out for Australia is a V8-powered Gladiator ute, with Mr Meunier instead pushing Jeep’s performance strategy down the 4xe path as well.
“V8 is not the future. I’m driving a Grand Cherokee 4xe at the moment… this thing drives like a V8 or better,” he said.
But that doesn’t mean Australian Jeep fans should hold their breath for a 4xe hybrid version of the ute or its Wrangler SUV sibling either.
“I pushed really hard to get the Wrangler 4xe in Australia and in the UK. The business case was not conclusive, does that mean it’s not going to happen? I don’t know,” he said.
Keyword: Jeep's Aussie assault! Recon and Wagoneer S electric cars, box-fresh Cherokee, and more on the way