If it sticks the landing, the hybrid 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe could be the linchpin in Jeep’s ambitious zero-emissions agenda.
The Jeep Grand Cherokee, the single-most awarded SUV of the past 30 years, is revving its engine again, this time with a plug-in hybrid model. Jeep’s parent company, Stellantis, revealed a very spartan first glimpse of the 4xe during the automaker’s inaugural EV Day event last week.
More information will become available at next month’s New York Auto Show (August 20-29). Here’s what we know so far.
2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe Specs
From the outside, the 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe looks like a stouter, two-row sibling to 2021’s three-row Grand Cherokee L. It sits on a standard wheelbase, and the hybrid charging port is located just ahead of the front driver’s-side door. The profile is sleek and serious; the teased spec car is a crisp white with clean metal trim.
The vehicle will likely include a powertrain architecture similar to that found in Jeep’s 2021 Wrangler 4xe, but finer details (and pricing information) are currently unavailable. If it does follow the Wrangler 4xe, drivers can expect a reported 22 miles on battery power before kicking over to gasoline.
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Jeep’s Zero-Emissions Mission
Jeep now falls under the nascent Stellantis auto group. Stellantis, which formed from a megamerger in January 2021, houses many familiar automakers. Among the brands are Chrysler, Fiat, and Dodge, as well as several prominent European brands.
Since its inception, the group has rolled out an aggressive EV campaign. Specifically, “targeting over 70% of sales in Europe and over 40% in the United States to be low-emission vehicles” by 2030.
In step with Stellantis’ target is Jeep’s “Zero Emission Freedom” slogan, under which the brand promises to offer an “electrified option” to every market segment by 2025. The hybrid vehicles will likely incorporate one of the four battery-electric platforms in development by Stellantis.
The 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe isn’t Jeep’s first PHEV (plug-in hybrids electric vehicle) — the Renegade and Compass are available overseas, and the 2021 Wrangler 4xe is available stateside.
That said, the Grand Cherokee has been a bit of a mid-American icon since the early ’90s. And there’s hardly an SUV out there that toes the line between heavy metal rockstar and soccer mom megamobile quite like the Grand Cherokee.
Plus, its reveal on EV Day indicates that the 4xe has a role to play in the “clean, safe, and affordable mobility” strategy promised by Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
For its recognition alone, the 2022 PHEV Grand Cherokee could raise Jeep’s low-emissions messaging to new heights.
For updates on the 2022 Grand Cherokee 4xe and more, look to Jeep or Stellantis.com.
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