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Speaking to reporters at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa said that a new hybrid SUV will appear in 2025.
Automotive News reports that it won't be a plug-in hybrid, meaning it will go in a different direction than the current Jeep 4xe electric models, namely the Grand Cherokee and Wrangler. That doesn't mean there won't eventually be multiple powertrain options. But given the cooler market for all-electric vehicles and the uncertain future of regulations and loans in the U.S., adding a midsize SUV with a mild-hybrid setup seems like a smart move.
Jeep stopped production of the Cherokee at its Belvidere, Illinois, plant in 2023. Since then, the idled facility has become something of a flashpoint for the UAW, which has called on Stellantis to resume operations at the facility as part of a 2023 labor agreement. The automaker has committed billions to retooling the plant for a 2027 reopening, but recently announced delays in that process have prompted the UAW to threaten a nationwide strike against Stellantis for breach of contract.
The new SUV, due in 2025, could be built in Mexico using the STLA Medium or Large architecture and be called the Jeep Cherokee. The brand is nearly 50 years old, and a Jeep spokesperson told Motor1 back in 2023 that the Cherokee was not canceled.
"We have plans for this important vehicle in this important segment, which we will share in due course," the spokesperson said.
