Jeep Boss Intends to “Grow the Brand Back”

Jeep is making one of the riskiest moves in its storied history, rolling out its first global EV, the Wagoneer S. It will be followed by a flood of new models this coming year, part of a push by the off-road marque to “grow the brand back” after several unexpectedly disappointing years. Headlight.News looks at what Jeep has coming and how it will face its ongoing challenges.

Months late to market, the belated debut of the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer S moves the automaker into uncharted territory as its first global battery-electric vehicle.

It arrives at a point when the future of the EV market is uncertain, and as concerns mount about the U.S. automotive market, in general. It also doesn’t help that Jeep faces growing competition, both from established competitors like Ford and Subaru, as well as new players like Rivian and the Scout brand Volkswagen will launch in 2026.

But there’s little doubt that the brand suffers from some self-inflicted injuries, Jeep officials acknowledge, among other things, failing to come up with a quick replacement for the old Cherokee, That alone was responsible for most of the brand’s overall 9% downturn in U.S. sales in 2024.

Self-inflicted injuries

“We’re attempting to grow the brand back to where it was,” Jeep boss and Stellantis Vice President Bob Broderdorf said during an event marking the first media drive of the new Wagoneer S last week.

The first step is to cope with some of the damage done by Jeep itself, he and other officials have acknowledged.

The first step came with price cuts on a number of key Jeep product lines – as much as $7,000 on the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer models. It’s now “completely repositioned,” said Broderdorf, starting at just under $60,000.

Then there were the false steps on product, among other things failing to update and then to replace the critical Jeep Cherokee. Jeep also failed in its plan to market the Wagoneer family as a separate sub-brand. Initially, it didn’t even use the Jeep badge on those big SUVs – a move reversed last year, as well.

Change in management

Jeep parent Stellantis was beset with turmoil in 2024. Not only did the brand oust its long-time boss Jim Morrison but global CEO Carlos Tavares resigned suddenly last November. The Portugese-born executive earlier in the year took on a share of the blame for the overall plunge in Stellantis sales – it was one of only two automakers to report a drop in demand in 2024.

Tavares acknowledged his own “arrogance” led the automaker to misread the market. More specifically, there’s broad agreement that, under Tavares, the company’s largely European-based top management simply downplayed the challenges faced in North America.

Shortly before Tavares resigned, he named Antonio Filosa the new chief operating officer for Stellantis North America. Significantly, Filosa retains his other role as Jeep’s global boss.

“There was a disconnect,” said Stephanie Brinley, principal auto analyst with S&P Global Mobility. Now, however, “it sounds like Stellantis is giving North America more control over its future.”

More Jeep News

• First Drive: Jeep Wagoneer S is an Electrifying SUV
• Jeep Drops Prices to Boost Demand
• Check Out the Jeep Wagoneer S Trailhawk Concept

More product

The next big step comes with the launch of an assortment of new products – for which Jeep has invested $3.2 billion, noted U.S. Jeep chief Broderdorf.

The Wagoneer S – which began by making a handful of deliveries in December – is just the first. Among the other product debuts in 2025:

• The most important is widely expected to be the as yet-unnamed replacement for the old Jeep Cherokee which, said Broderdorf, “needs to come in as fast as humanly possible”;
• Jeep Recon will be the brand’s second global EV. Where the Wagoneer S might be described as a “soft-roader,” primarily meant for driving on pavement, Recon is essentially an all-electric alternative to the iconic, go-anywhere Jeep Wrangler;
• A “refresh” of the Grand Cherokee is also in the works for the 2025 calendar year. It’s coming faster than the normal mid-lifecycle update reflecting the weak performance of the current SUV – though still the best-selling Jeep nameplate, it suffered a 12% dip last year, to 216,148.

More powertrain technologies

While Jeep has been slow to go all-electric it’s been reasonably up front with other electrified technologies. The Wrangler 4xe, noted Broderdorf, is the best-selling plug-in hybrid in the U.S., and the Grand Cherokee 4xe – pronounced 4-by-e – is close behind.

This year will also see the launch of the first Jeep E-REV, a version of the Wagoneer. Short for “extended-range electric vehicle,” it’s similar to the current 4xe plug-in hybrid technology with a couple key differences. It pairs gas and electric drive hardware together but where a PHEV’s wheels can be driven by either the internal combustion engine, electric motors or both, an E-REV is only “motivated” by its electric motors. The gas engine functions solely as a generator to keep the battery charged up. But rather than having to find a charger on a long trip a motorist can simply refill the gas tank.

All told, Jeep expects to have six different types of powertrain technologies available, depending on the model, by this time next year, including:

• Gas only drivetrains;
• Mild hybrids which use a small battery and downsized electric motor to improve fuel economy while adding a bit more launch boost;
• Conventional hybrids which deliver substantial mileage benefits and can also boost performance;
• Plug-in hybrids, like the Wrangler 4xe;
• E-REVs; and
• All-electric models like the Wagoneer S and Recon.

“Having a blend of powertrain solutions gives them a lot of opportunities,” said Brinley. But “they will have to be flexible,” she added, in order to adapt to potentially significant changes in consumer demand – especially at a time when the Trump administration is moving to reverse Biden-era EV mandates,