2018 Jeep Wrangler to gain a hybrid powertrain, but no electric Wrangler planned
The spy photos of a two-door Jeep Wranger have been doing the rounds, said to be the Rubicon model. And while there were some concerns of supply issues, Jeep officials have said that come 2018, the Jeep Wrangler will be produced in larger numbers which sure to ease those concerns. The new Jeep Wranger, known internally as the JL, is expected next year and while it competes with the Land Rover Defender, the new Landie will follow roughly a year after the Jeep Wranger goes on sale. But the interesting thing is the inclusion of a new hybrid version though a full electric Jeep Wranger is still too far out there. Reports quote Jeep CEO Michael Manley as saying, "A full battery-electric-vehicle Wrangler is not relevant. We can't strand one of our vehicles on a remote mountain side." How's that for range anxiety? On the other hand, while Jeep didn't receive a warm welcome thanks to the price of its Wrangler in India, the Jeep Compass has received a vastly warmer response thanks to its blend of capability, equipment and pricing. The Jeep Compass, in fact, fared rather well against the Hyundai Creta in a recent OVERDRIVE comparison test. And now, back to the 2018 Jeep Wrangler. Jeep was also in the news recently for more or less confirming that it was working on a suvb-4m SUV that would sit below the Renegade, aimed squarely at emerging markets and specifically at India.
The first hybrid Jeep Wranger is expected to have the electric powertrain connected to a petrol engine, most likely a mild-turbo four-cylinder engine. Diesels will of course be on the cars but there are some concerns that the smaller displacement diesel engines need a disproportionate amount of the exhaust clean-up to meet the ever tighter emissions requirements pushing cost up to unreasonable levels for the size of the engine. The information leaked to the Jeep forums suggest that there are 2l and 30l diesels and a 3.6l V6 petrol in the offing.
Jeep's further product plans include the Grand Wagoneer that is now due in 2019, possibly one of the two large SUVs that in intends to add to the range.