Jeep has missed the first electrification train.
But the iconic brand is determined to catch the next one. To achieve this, the manufacturer of all-terrain vehicles knows that it has to make a lot of noise.
Its main rivals have occupied the front pages of the media for several months. Most importantly, they have managed to establish themselves in the conversations of consumers wondering if their next vehicle purchase should be an electric vehicle.
For those who have decided, they have, for the moment, opted for Ford (F), which should soon start production of the F-150 Lightning electric pickup, the environmentally friendly version of the best-seller F-150. The F-150 Lightning order book is already very full.
Consumers can also refer to GM's (GM) GMC Hummer electric pickup or the upcoming electric version of the Chevy Silverado.
Fierce Competition
The same consumers also have the choice of the R1T electric pickup from the young electric manufacturer Rivian (RIVN), whose biggest backer is Amazon (AMZN). The e-commerce giant both a shareholder of Rivian and has placed a huge order for vehicles.
Finally, there is Tesla (TSLA) and its very futuristic Cybertruck. Elon Musk has just announced that Tesla will start production of the truck, which represents a real threat to legacy carmakers in the off-road segment.
Aware that the competition will be fierce, Jeep, whose parent company is Stellantis (STLA), former Fiat Chrysler, has just made announcements aimed at putting it in front of consumers who love and want electric vehicles.
Every year around Easter, Jeep hosts an event in the Moab desert, the Moab Easter Safari.
It is an opportunity for the American manufacturer to honor its models and its customers while rewarding them with extreme concept cars. This year will be no exception to the rule, with six concepts and a 2.0 version of its 100% electric Wrangler Magneto.
In 2021, Jeep unveiled a concept called Magneto, which is 100% electric and is based on the convertible three-door Wrangler.
Jeep is doing that again, with a 2.0 iteration of Magneto in 2022. Compared to the initial concept, the look does not change but the performance takes a leap forward.
The idea is the same: A six-speed manual gearbox, electric and blue/white theme. Wrangler Magneto kicks things up a notch this year to deliver the kind of performance that forces drivers to “buckle up and grab with both hands,” as Jeep puts it.
Jeep
A 625 Horsepower Electric Wrangler
It is retaining its battery pack, which is divided into four elements for better weight distribution, and an unchanged capacity of 70 kWh.
That pushes its power 625 horsepower and its torque to 850 lb-ft. That's more than triple what it was last year.
New settings maintain maximum amperage for 10 seconds and the result is 0-60 mph (97 km/h) acceleration in two seconds, according to the company.
The Rock-Trac four-wheel drive system comes from the Wrangler Rubicon, the wheelbase is stretched 12 inches, the suspension is raised three inches, and 40-inch off-road tires are included under the carbon fiber fenders.
It's noteworthy that the hood incorporates a transparent blue panel that reveals the engine underneath.
"The Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 is amped up – literally – creating a terrain-dominating off-roader that carries you far, far off the beaten path," the company said in a press release.
Jeep has said that the Magneto 2.0 is only in the laboratory, and that the future electric Wrangler, even if it takes up a few elements here and there, will be completely different.
Last month Jeep unveiled its plans to sell its first full-battery electric vehicle in early 2023. The carmaker will also market an all-terrain SUV from the beginning of 2024
Jeep hasn't provided any details about these vehicles.
The news comes as Jeep announced it will stop marketing thermal engines. It's aimed to position the brand on an environmentally virtuous trajectory. The combustion engines remain however on the program in hybridized versions.
