New Jeep 2030 flagship SUV

Recently, news emerged of Stellantis's intention to create several new global models by 2030, including a large Jeep SUV developed jointly with the Chinese company Dongfeng. Thanks to a single teaser image, we have the opportunity to form a first impression of its exterior design.

In the American brand's current line-up, the flagship role is played by the body-on-frame Grand Wagoneer SUV, built on the basis of the Ram 1500 pickup truck. The sole generation of the model premiered in 2021, and in autumn last year a facelifted version was presented. Its future fate remains unknown for now: sales of the SUV leave much to be desired, and in the future its place on the production line could be taken by a large Ram SUV.

The brand's flagship, however, is expected to become a large SUV built on a platform developed jointly with the Chinese automaker Dongfeng. At our disposal, we have just a single image of the model, showing the front half of the body and the side glazing along with the roof. The headlights are designed as a "two-tier" arrangement: narrow LED strips run along the edge of the bonnet (visually linked by the LED illumination of the upper section of the radiator grille), while the main headlight units are integrated slightly lower into the bumper. The wheel arches are angular, as is the overall body styling. The rear doors appear very wide, hinting at three-row seating and generous space in the rear of the cabin. One can also note the wide rear pillars, which evoke associations with other models in the brand's line-up, including the new-generation Cherokee and the recently refreshed Renegade. The rear section remains hidden for now, so we have depicted a version with a full-width LED light bar across the tail, similar to the current Grand Wagoneer flagship. The SUV is also shown with distinctive six-spoke alloy wheels.

As previously mentioned, the basis for the new model will be a platform shared with Dongfeng, and the powertrain will be a plug-in hybrid, much like the majority of full-size Chinese crossovers. However, the primary emphasis will be on off-road capability and other signature characteristics of the Jeep brand. The current Grand Wagoneer, meanwhile, is powered by a 3.0-litre twin-turbocharged "Hurricane" straight-six engine producing 426 bhp and 635 Nm of torque. There is also a plug-in hybrid version of the REEV (range-extended electric vehicle) type, in which a 3.6-litre naturally aspirated petrol V6, not mechanically linked to the wheels, works in conjunction with a 130-kilowatt generator and charges a traction battery with a capacity of 92 kWh. The wheels are driven by two electric motors with a combined output of 656 bhp (841 Nm).

Meanwhile, last month the off-road versions of the Grand Cherokee Trailhawk and Overland returned to production.