Gladiator Not Going Electric Says Jeep CEO?

[ModdedJK]

One Of Jeep's Most Important Models Won't Be Going Electric
The off-road brand knows that not every model will work as an EV.

September 19, 2022

The United States may not be getting the compact Avenger SUV, but we will receive the Wagoneer S and Recon off-roader. The latter is, essentially, a fully-electric alternative to the iconic Wrangler and will undoubtedly appeal to a new customer base.​

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This new lineup of electric vehicles is exciting, but we couldn't help but notice something was missing - where's the battery-powered version of the Gladiator pickup truck? Has Jeep simply forgotten, or is an EV variant on the way? Well, according to Jeep CEO Christian Meunier, it's not going to happen.​

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"A ... body-on-frame [truck] is what a Jeep pickup would be. I don't see the benefits of doing a pickup [based on the] Recon when we have a Gladiator that is doing very well, which is a real deal," said Meunier to Australia's Drive. Meunier also highlighted that a car-based pickup - the Recon uses the STLA Large platform with unibody construction - "wouldn't be a Jeep," in reference to a smaller truck.​

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But that's not to say we'll never see an electric Jeep pickup.​

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"Everything's open, but we're not a pickup truck brand. Gladiator is a lifestyle pick-up," added the CEO. In recent years, Jeep has moved into unchartered territory, with vehicles such as the Compass and Renegade bringing affordability and mainstream appeal to the brand. With this in mind, Jeep could very well encroach on the burgeoning compact pickup segment.​

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- Via Carbuzz​

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[DailyMoparGuy]

*Potential V8 chants start*

 

[Lunentucker]

Bring forth the Hurricane!

 

[Lunentucker]

Although my tech did tell me that the Hurricane will be too long for the Gladiators. Said they're telling them that they'll have to lift the cab off the wagoneers to do anything past the valve covers.

 

[Minty JL]

They just need to do a 2.5L turbo and call it a day. Some more displacement and bigger turbo........would be vastly better then the weak 3.6.

I love the 2.0t eTorque with ZF trans in my JLUR. It gets up & goes and will smoke the 35s no problem.

 

[sharpsicle]

Am I the only one reading that differently than the article implies? It sounds to me like they are just saying they aren't looking to make a full-electric pickup version of the Recon. It's just saying "Hey, if we've got the Gladiator, why would we convert the Recon into another pickup?"

While I agree that maybe they won't release a 4xe version of the Gladiator, this quote is not saying that. The author is connecting dots on his own I think.

 

[Minty JL]

Am I the only one reading that differently than the article implies? It sounds to me like they are just saying they aren't looking to make a full-electric pickup version of the Recon. It's just saying "Hey, if we've got the Gladiator, why would we convert the Recon into another pickup?"

While I agree that maybe they won't release a 4xe version of the Gladiator, this quote is not saying that. The author is connecting dots on his own I think.

I guess you could say the article was a bit on the vague side. Thing about Jeeps, they always manage to keep us on our toes

 

[Deleted member 47279]

i love that they understand that the gladdy is a lifestyle truck. its a trash truck, way too long crawler, but for my outdoorsy lifestyle its perfect. nothing like doors off in the wilderness enjoying that clean air..if they made a gladdy that had 50 miles electric only hybrid i would buy it right now. the torque would be perfect for crawling, and no range anxiety.

 

[j.o.y.ride]

Although my tech did tell me that the Hurricane will be too long for the Gladiators. Said they're telling them that they'll have to lift the cab off the wagoneers to do anything past the valve covers.

I find it hard to believe that Jeep would bring out it's next gen engine and not have it fit in the JT... which also means not in the JL. Would be baffling and the JL/T isn't due for an overhaul for a long time to come.

 

[bleda2002]

Am I the only one reading that differently than the article implies? It sounds to me like they are just saying they aren't looking to make a full-electric pickup version of the Recon. It's just saying "Hey, if we've got the Gladiator, why would we convert the Recon into another pickup?"

While I agree that maybe they won't release a 4xe version of the Gladiator, this quote is not saying that. The author is connecting dots on his own I think.

The actual quote says exactly that. They wont make a recon pickup truck because it wouldnt be a body on frame truck. The quote doesnt even discount the (remote) possibility of an EV Gladiator, just that the unibody recon wont become a pickup.

 

[Rusty PW]

Long live the diesel.

 

[ShrimpHappens]

Am I the only one reading that differently than the article implies? It sounds to me like they are just saying they aren't looking to make a full-electric pickup version of the Recon. It's just saying "Hey, if we've got the Gladiator, why would we convert the Recon into another pickup?"

While I agree that maybe they won't release a 4xe version of the Gladiator, this quote is not saying that. The author is connecting dots on his own I think.

Came to say exactly this. The quote isn't that they won't electrify the Gladiator, it's that they won't make a pickup variant of the Recon EV.

Cliiiiiiickbaaaaiiiiiiiit

 

[@californiajeeping]

They just need to do a 2.5L turbo and call it a day. Some more displacement and bigger turbo........would be vastly better then the weak 3.6.

I love the 2.0t eTorque with ZF trans in my JLUR. It gets up & goes and will smoke the 35s no problem.

They did. Its a v6 3.0L and diesel.

 

[AKDrifter]

I've read the full interview, it doesn't say anything about a non-electric Gladiator, it just says they won't make a Maverick style unibody compact pickup. That is the takeaway. They will only build body on frame trucks, and they're only interested in building one right now.

 

[NachoRuby]

I'm still hoping the Recon doesn't replace the Wrangler. It's just too similar for both to succeed.

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