Major car firm to discontinue popular diesel model… and replace it with EV alternative
A HUGE car manufacturer is set to discontinue a popular diesel model and replace it with an EV alternative.
Details from the world’s fourth-largest motor company Stellantis, have slipped out about the future of some of its Jeep vehicles.
Based in the Netherlands, Stellantis is the parent company for a number of famous car brands such as Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Fiat, Peugeot and Maserati.
Long-term plans have emerged for a number of Jeep’s popular SUVs showing their current lifecycles and into the next generation, including plans for electric versions.
The Jeep Wrangler, which is currently built in the Stellantis factory in Toledo, Ohio, will remain until 2028.
Although the Wrangler 4xe hybrid is set for an upgrade in 2025.
The deal struck between Stellantis and the United Auto Workers (UAW) trade union reveal that production for the J70 Wrangler will begin in 2028 with two electric powertrains.
One will be electric with the other using a combustion engine as a range-extender.
No mention is made of a purely internal combustion version or a plug-in hybrid.
The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer will also continue into 2028 with the current models.
The vehicle will be given a mid-cycle refresh in 2025.
An electric version with a range-extending engine will also hit the market that year.
A battery-electric Wagoneer/Grand Wagoneer is listed to arrive in 2027.
A second refresh for the combustion models is pencilled in for 2027.
Nothing is mentioned about a next generation model or anything past 2028.
For the Grand Cherokee, the current generation two-row model runs through 2027 while the three-row production stretches into 2028.
A mid-cycle refresh is expected in 2024 with a next gen model appearing in 2027.
The Dodge Durango is built alongside the Grand Cherokee at Stellantis’ Detroit Assembly Complex.
The current generation will continue through 2025 and a next generation model is expected the following year.
Under the deal struck between Stellantis and the UAW, there is a proposal for the former Jeep Cherokee plant in Belvidere, Illinois, to reopen where an unnamed mid-size truck will be built.