Jeep Renegade: Electric version for under £20,000 announced

The technical basis is likely to be the Smart Car Platform of the Citroen e-C3

Jeep Renegade electric version for £20,000 (slide from Stellantis Investor Day 2024, excerpt)

By: Stefan Leichsenring

Published by: Brian Potter

Jun 17, 2024 at 7:57am ET

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It was clear that Stellantis wants to put a number of vehicles on the new Smart Car Platform, which is making its debut with the Citroën e-C3. Apparently, this will also include an electric version of the Jeep Renegade. This is suggested by statements made at the Stellantis Investor Day and during a conference call.

The Jeep Renegade is currently a 4.24 metre long SUV that is available with mild hybrid and plug-in hybrid drive. The vehicle was launched in 2014 and received a facelift in 2018, with mild hybrid drive added in 2022. In purely calendar terms, the model is therefore already one of the automotive Methusalems. Stellantis has so far announced the second generation for 2026, writes Autocar.

The current Jeep Renegade is 4.24 metres long, but a proud 1.XX metres high

At 4.24 metres long and a proud 1.68 metres high, the current Jeep Renegade has roughly the same dimensions as the Smart #1

However, at the Investor Day on Thursday, Stellantis has now announced an electric version with an entry-level price of less than $25,000 or the equivalent of around £20,000 (see our cover picture). Group CEO Carlos Tavares also said during a conference call that the car would be equipped with a lithium iron phosphate battery (LFP) to make the low price possible. He did not want to say whether the car is based on the Smart Car Platform. However, both the price and the LFP battery fit in with this low-cost architecture.

At around £20,000, the Jeep Renegade Electric would be significantly cheaper than the Jeep Avenger Electric, which is available from £34,999. If it remains at 4.24 metres, the newcomer would be around 20 cm longer. The 83 kW motor from the Citroën e-C3 could be used as the drive. In terms of price, the new electric Jeep would be roughly on a par with the Citroën, which is available from €23,300 (price not announced in UK yet).

However, it has not been confirmed that the Renegade Electric will be based on the Smart Car Platform. Only the LFP battery and the price indicate this. The Citroën C3 Aircross, the Opel-Vauxhall Frontera Electric and the Fiat Grande Panda are also based on this platform.

Gallery: 2025 Fiat Grande Panda

2025 Fiat Grande Panda

Source: Fiat

The Renegade is to be one of six new electric models that Jeep plans to launch worldwide by 2027. This also includes the electric Wagoneer S, which will be launched in 2024, the Jeep Recon off-roader, which will follow in 2025, and a "mainstream SUV" that has not yet been specified. The latter is expected to be in the D segment (mid-range). The car would probably be around 4.70 metres long and compete with the Tesla Model Y. It would be positioned between the compact Compass and the 4.89 metre long Wagoneer S.

Jeep plans (slide from Stellantis Investor Day in June 2024)

With this slide from Investor Day, Stellantis announced the electric version of the Renegade for under $25,000 (bottom right) and the new mid-size SUV (top right)

It was already rumoured that Jeep was working on an electric Compass based on STLA Medium. Stellantis has now confirmed with a slide that the new generation will appear before 2027. This chart from Investor Day shows Jeep's product plans:

Jeep product plan until 2027 Slide from Stellantis Investor Day 2024

The Jeep product plan shows three cars that have not yet been unveiled: the Renegade, the Compass and the new mid-size SUV

The current Jeep Renegade will be built together with the Fiat 500X and the Jeep Compass in Melfi in southern Italy, while the Avenger will be built together with the Alfa Romeo Junior and the Fiat 600 Elektro in Poland. The Wagoneer S is to be produced in Mexico. Jeep currently produces a third of its vehicles in low-wage countries; this proportion is set to rise to around half in future:

Stellantis is also focusing on "profitable multi-energy platforms". These include the Smart Car Platform, which also supports combustion versions. The Group is also sticking with its numerous brands. This will enable it to cover the entire price spectrum and also capitalise on the preference of individual markets for "local heroes", i.e. the fact that people in Germany like to buy Opel, in France they prefer Citroën, etc.