- Jeep has canceled the upcoming Wrangler Gladiator 4xe.
- The plug-in hybrid version of the pickup Wrangler was supposed to debut this year.
- This is the second time in less than two weeks that Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, has axed an upcoming model.
America’s chance of getting a relatively affordable plug-in hybrid pickup truck just vanished into thin air after Jeep canceled the upcoming Wrangler Gladiator 4xe. The cancellation of the plug-in hybrid pickup is effective immediately, with all related activities and agreements to be concluded, according to a letter sent by Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, to suppliers last week, quoted by Automotive News.
The Jeep Wrangler Gladiator 4xe was scheduled to launch this year, as announced in 2024 by Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, who was Jeep’s CEO at the time.
The Gladiator 4xe would have been Jeep’s third plug-in hybrid model, after the regular Wrangler and Grand Cherokee.
This is Stellantis’ second product cancellation in less than two weeks. Earlier this month, the auto giant pulled the plug on the Ram 1500 REV all-electric pickup, saying it would keep the name for the range-extended Ram 1500, which was previously known as the Ramcharger.
The all-electric full-size Ram truck had been delayed several times before being discontinued, while the extended-range version of the pickup got a boost in development and is scheduled to go on sale next year.
However, the Ram 1500 REV, which uses a gas-powered V-6 engine to recharge its big battery, will probably be anything but affordable. Meanwhile, the discontinued Jeep Wrangler Gladiator 4xe could have been America’s best shot at getting something Chinese buyers have had access to for a few years: an off-road capable, reasonably sized pickup that can drive on electricity in the city and provide peace of mind on the trails–as long as the gas tank is full.
All this being said, the cancellation of Jeep’s PHEV pickup is not exactly a surprise. Sales of the gas-powered Gladiator in the United States went from nearly 90,000 units in 2021 to 42,123 units last year. Meanwhile, Canadian deliveries totaled just 2,368 models last year, down from their peak of 4,985 in 2022. Adding a plug-in hybrid version in a market where all-electric pickups have failed to capture the public’s attention would have probably been a costly mistake, which Stellantis just can’t afford right now.
The car-making behemoth that owns no fewer than 14 brands has seen sales slide across the board, with double-digit drops compared to last year. A CEO change didn’t make things easier for Stellantis either, so tweaking its product strategy to make money is not exactly a bad idea.
