FCA is preparing there Italian factory in Melfi to make PHEV Jeep Renegades by 2020, quite possibly an important vehicle in Jeep’s lineup in the near future.
The Jeep Renegade, FCA’s loveable Italian made small CUV for the American market, might be one of Jeep’s highest selling vehicles in the company’s history very soon. As per FCA in an official press release in dropped earlier today (Oct. 6, 2018) FCA is preparing to add a battery pack in their little Renegade, possibly giving it the ability to have an EV-only mode in line with the Chrysler Pacifica PHEV. If FCA gets the timing right and markets it correctly, this could be a boon for Jeep in a way that already has its writing on the wall.
Earlier in the year in June FCA put forth a business plan that stretches through 2022 where a large part of their lineup will see electrification.
As per their press release,
The Renegade PHEV is the next step towards the electrification of the FCA product portfolio, which follows the launch of the Chrysler Pacifica Minivan PHEV and the e-Torque mild-hybrid technology launched on the Ram 1500 at the beginning of 2018. By 2022, FCA will offer a total of 12 electric propulsion systems (BEV, PHEV, full-hybrid and mild-hybrid) in global architectures, with 30 different models that will mount one or more of these systems.
As it stands since its launch in 2015, FCA has produced close to a quarter of a million Renegades for its markets worldwide. Close to half of all Renegades are sold in the United States, as per GoodCarBadCar, about 344,000 Renegades were sold in those three years. As I mentioned before, although the Renegade isn’t Jeep’s best seller, when this Renegade PHEV launches, it might be.
KTLA 5 reports that gasoline prices have spiked a good seven cents across the United States in the past two weeks. With the price of a barrel of crude oil, by some estimations, ready to hit and crest over $100 a barrel, gas prices may continue its upwards trend towards $5 and beyond.
That means, small cars like the Renegade PHEV that might offer a bit of EV range, have superior combined MPG, and not cost as much as a regular EV, might do well. It only helps that it’s a small crossover, which are hot right now.
The perfect conditions for higher fuel prices, the need for fuel sippers, and the no relief in sight only bodes well for the future of the 2020 Jeep Renegade PHEV.
[…] about the PHEV Renegade’s performance are scant at this point, but one writer, Paul Acoba, suggested it might be similar to the Pacifica Hybrid (which you can read a CleanTechnica review of here). […]