The pocket-sized battery-electric model due next year opens up some interesting possibilities when it comes to nameplates.
- Jeep parent company Stellantis has previewed a small electric SUV from the brand, due on sale in 2023.
- The compact Jeep will be the brand’s first battery-electric model, ahead of the arrival of the electric Wrangler.
- Stellantis has recently unveiled a timeline of battery-electric vehicles it intends to introduce in coming years from its various brands.
Last week Jeep parent company Stellantis gave the world a glimpse of its EV strategy in the coming years, dubbed Dare Forward 2030. Among other vehicles, like an battery-electric Ram 1500 that the automaker intends to bring to market in 2024, Stellantis also previewed a second Jeep EV that will arrive before the electric Wrangler scheduled for 2024.
The small EV, estimated to be about the size of the Compass, was previewed in unusual detail, appearing quite production-ready with all the details that tend to be missing from concept renderings and sketches: wipers, mirrors, license plate niches and badging.
It also looked quite complete, with the images shared by the automaker not suggesting a half-finished design or purely a styling exercise. It’s still unusual to reveal the exterior design of a future vehicle in its entirety prior to an auto show debut, but these are unusual times. The small electric vehicle previewed last week seemingly had it all. Except for a name.
In recent years Jeep has shown a penchant for digging into its past for nameplates, having dusted off the Grand Wagoneer and the Gladiator. Jeep has also liked to “remix” old nameplates and trims from its past, giving us concepts like the Crew Chief 715, in a nod to the Cherokee Chief.
At this point we can probably rule out cheesy, low-hanging fruit like “Renegad-E” or “Hurrican-E,” as well as various iMac-style vehicle names that have proliferated in the auto industry in recent years. But there are a few Jeep concept names from the past that come to mind that could work for a smallish, electric EV about the size of a Compass.
For instance, we can certainly picture Jeep reusing the name Liberator from the 2004 Liberty CRD diesel concept, or Jeepster from the distant past. We can also picture Jeep using the Willys name to signal the start of a new era with a callback, or bringing back the Scrambler name from the CJ-8.
Or, perhaps Jeep goes with something entirely new and devoid of callbacks to past vehicles.
Keyword: What Should Jeep Name Its First EV?