If ever you needed proof that Jeep is an international brand, consider this: the marque’s first battery electric 4×4 concept debuted Monday at the Paris Motor Show.
Dubbed the Jeep Avenger, it’s aimed at Europe and Asia, and is one of four all-electric vehicles in Europe by 2025, and one of five all-new battery-electric vehicles the brand will introduce by 2024, as TheDetroitBureau.com reported last month.
“The new Jeep Avenger represents a key milestone for the brand as it is the first of a portfolio of all-new Jeep BEVs to be introduced in Europe.” said Christian Meunier, Jeep brand CEO.
“It offers Jeep brand capability that is rightsized for the European market and at the Paris Motor Show, we are showcasing why it is a great all-electric Jeep brand alternative to current players in the B-SUV segment.”
A continental Jeep
The Avenger was created particularly for Europe, where Jeep lacks the powertrains that improve their popularity in markets like Germany or France. There, concerns about fuel efficiency and emissions has restrained the brand’s success. With electrification, those barriers are eliminated.
According to Jeep, its 400-volt electric powertrain generates 115 kW, or 156 horsepower, and 260 Nm (191 pound-feet) of torque. Power comes from a new 54 kWh battery installed below the seats and produced by Stellantis and composed of 17 modules and 102 cells that provide 400 km (249 miles) of range in the WLTP cycle, which is going to much closer to 200 miles using U.S. metrics.
Use it purely in the city, and you’ll squeeze out 550 kilometers (342 miles) between plug-ins. Better yet, it furnishes 200 millimeters (almost 8 inches) of ground clearance and is rated for 20-degree approach and 32-degree departure angles. The Avenger is the first front-wheel drive Jeep vehicle that comes with Selec-Terrain and Hill Descent Control, along with six driving modes: Normal, Eco, Sport, Snow, Mud and Sand, as well as 18-inch wheels.
A dual-motor, all-wheel-drive Avenger arrives sometime in the future.
The Jeep Avenger can recharge to 80% from 20% in about 24 minutes using a direct current 100 kW Mode 4 cable. An alternating current 11 kW Mode 3 cable can fully charge the vehicle from “empty” in 5.5 hours. If time is of the essence, 3 minutes of charge will net 30 kilometers (19 miles).
Uniquely, buyers in Italy and Spain will find the Avenger is available with a turbocharged gas engine.
The inside story
Certainly it’s sized for the European market, at 4.08 meters (160.6 inches) long. Although that’s more than 22 inches longer than the 1945 Jeep CJ, but it’s 6.2 inches shorter than a four-door 2022 Wrangler.
Low-speed accidents account for 70% of impacts in Europe, so the Avenger comes with skid plates, 360-degree cladding and encased protected headlamps.
Speaking of the Wrangler, it proved an influence for the Avenger’s cabin, where a single horizontal beam contains the air vents, ambient lighting and anchors the 10.25-inch touch screen. It also comes with wireless Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and a wireless smartphone charging pad. Options include leather seat inserts, in-seat massagers, a large sunroof and 7-inch and 10.25-inch full digital instrument clusters.
Cargo space is rated at 380 liters (13.4 cubic feet) in the back and 34 liters (1.2 cubic feet) up front.
Pre-booking is open for the Jeep Avenger Launch Edition, a fully-loaded variant available through Nov. 30.
“The Avenger has been designed as a Jeep vehicle from the outset, and the all-electric 4×2 model already offers some of the best-in-class capabilities that identify the Jeep brand,” officials noted.
When the Avenger arrives for 2023, it will be positioned in the B SUV segment below the Renegade, which is expected to reach annual sales of 2.2 million units, or one in five vehicles sold in Europe.
The 2023 Jeep Avenger will be built in the company’s Tychy, Poland plant.
So, what’s next?
Jeep was hesitant to adopt electrification, much like its American sibling brands Dodge, Ram and Chrysler, only stepping up the transition after the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and France’s Groupe PSA.
The Wrangler 4xe, its first serious battery-powered variant, only recently hit showrooms. But it has turned out to be a huge hit, and is currently the most popular plug-in hybrid on the American market. It was followed by the Grand Cherokee 4xe, and is also proving popular.
With an upcoming mix of plug-in hybrids and entirely battery-electric vehicles, Jeep intends to build on that success, even as it’s hedging its bets. Jeep is creating the Recon, an all-electric version of the Wrangler, out of concern for offending Wrangler enthusiasts. Recon will have removable roof and doors, like a Wrangler. It will get a unique electric rendition of Jeep’s Selec-Terrain system, along with e-lockers, tow hooks, and, well, anything you’d expect in a battery-electric Wrangler, including a plethora of aftermarket components.