Jeep has released a mysterious teaser of a SUV it says will be its fourth electric vehicle.
The as-yet unspecified vehicle, depicted in a teaser image shared by Motor1, is due by 2025.
It will follow the small Avenger – launching in Europe and Asia – and the mid-sized Recon off-roader and Wagoneer S crossover.
The latter two are locked in for Australia. They’ll enter production in the US in 2024.
While the concealed vehicle in the teaser image appears small, CarExpert understands it could be a replacement for the mid-sized Cherokee.
Mopar Insiders reported last year the KM Cherokee will be underpinned by the new STLA Large architecture and offer a choice of both internal-combustion and electric powertrains.
It also correctly predicted it would share these with a more upscale, Wagoneer-badged model. This was later revealed with the tentative name Wagoneer S, and was previewed alongside the more rugged Recon.
Wagoneer S
Fellow Stellantis brand Dodge has confirmed the new STLA Large architecture will support both internal-combustion and electric powertrains.
The architecture will support electric motors producing between 125kW and 330kW, creating the tantalising possibility of dual-motor 660kW all-wheel drive powertrains.
STLA Large vehicles will also be able to support battery capacities from 101-118kWh, facilitating a maximum range of up to 800km.
For the Wagoneer S, Jeep says it’s targeting a range of 644km and a 0-60mph (0-96km/h) time of around 3.5 seconds. It will produce 447kW of power.
It’s unclear whether Jeep will offer a similarly powerful version of the Cherokee EV, or whether it will offer a Trailhawk variant that offers the ruggedness of the upcoming Recon.
This SUV features Wrangler-inspired styling and a Trail-Rated badge, and packs e-locker axle technology, under-body protection, tow hooks, off-road tyres, and Jeep’s Selec-Terrain traction management system.
Jeep Recon
The KL-series Jeep Cherokee exited production earlier this year, just a few months after it was officially discontinued locally.
That leaves the SUV brand without a vehicle in the most popular vehicle segment in Australia.
Jeep sold just 305 examples in Australia last year, which saw it outsell only the Citroen C5 Aircross (64 sales) and Peugeot 5008 (165 sales).
KL Cherokee
That was quite a precipitous fall for the stalwart SUV, which logged 6156 sales in 2015. That year, it outsold fairly popular models like the Holden Captiva 5 and Suzuki Grand Vitara.
Volume then fell massively to 2079 sales in 2016, with sales sliding gradually thereafter.
Even in its home market of the US, Cherokee sales have been sliding. Per Good Car Bad Car, the current generation reached a height of 239,437 sales in 2018 but has gradually declined since then, reaching a low of 40,322 sales in 2022.
MORE: Everything Jeep Cherokee
