Competition will make the future brighter for Jeep, according to CEO Christian Meunier. Looking ahead, the automaker is sure that its 80 years of experience will carry it through to a bright future, even with competition like the new Ford Bronco.
“Competition is great,” Meunier said at the Chicago Auto Show, per The Detroit News. “There is a craving for freedom to make you go anywhere. I think Bronco is going to be a good competitor, a solid competitor, we don’t deny that. At the same time, it puts us on our toes. It forces us to be better and better and better.”
Already, the brand has released the 2021 Wrangler Rubicon 392 and the Xtreme Recon package following the arrival of Ford’s off-road competitor and its Sasquatch package. But looking farther ahead, staying ahead will mean more than V8s.
“There are a lot of things that are coming that are in the pipeline,” Meunier added. “We are going to keep our king of the hill position, for sure.”
Read Also: Jeep Debuts Two-Row 2022 Grand Cherokee With 4xe PHEV, Will Electrify Wagoneer And More
During the auto show, Jeep released a video celebrating the brand’s history and also teased a number of novel features that could keep the Wrangler relevant in a world possessed by electric drivetrains and advanced driver assistance features.
Electrification “is a compliance issue, obviously,” Meunier said. “But we think it has the opportunity to make our product even more exciting, even more capable, and provide our community even better product in the future, obviously while respecting the planet.”
In the video, a scene set in the year 2025 shows what Jeep might be thinking in the near term. It shows a Jeep Wrangler with “Freedom” written on the hood with features like biometric recognition that unlocks the car when it sees its owner’s face; zero-emission driving, suggesting an all-electric two-door Wrangler; dynamic tire pressure, to deflate and reinflate the tires as circumstances require; peer-to-peer charging to allow Jeeps to charge each other and even power a campsite; and finally a drone to scout trails for you.
A second scene set in 2030 shows another even more futuristic Wrangler with a number of advanced features like autonomous off-road capabilities; remote vehicle tracking, and flat seats for sleeping. The teaser ends with a shot of an electric Jeep completely underwater, which a lack of engine could allow for.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vVLBzKyWjmc
“We are committed to make Jeep the greenest and most exciting SUV brand,” said Meunier in a release. “The electrification of the Jeep lineup will allow commuters to travel solely on electric power, delivering an efficient and fun on-road experience and offering an ability to enjoy even more off-road capability in nearly complete silence.”
The video follows the release of the plug-in hybrid Wrangler 4xe and the unveiling of the 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe. The company has also set up solar-powered charging points at trailheads around the country to help convince people that its style of enthusiast vehicle can work in an increasingly electric future.
With Stellantis demanding more electrification from its brands, it’s one that Jeep can’t avoid from outside or from above.
