Jeep has been testing a new off-roader shaping up to become the company’s smallest and possibly also cheapest SUV to date, Autoblog reports along with posting what it claims is the first photo of the car.
It remains uncertain where the photo was taken, but the source believes the vehicle is Jeep’s first all-electric car designed from scratch with a battery powertrain in mind. We are also told that the production could begin in the fourth quarter of this year.
Actually, the only evidence we have speaking in favor of this car being a Jeep is that it looks very much like the car Jeep previewed on official renderings back in March. The headlight shapes, shoulder lines, c-pillars, mirrors and other details match exactly.
As for the naming, rumor has it the automaker calls the new model ‘Jeep Junior’, but intends to rename it to ‘Jeepster’ when it goes into production. Carscoops tends to agree it is going to be electric, but has its doubts regarding whether Stellantis will finish developing its STLA Small architecture in time for the Jeepster to take advantage of it.
With this in mind, the model may as well arrive to us based on the e-CMP chassis of the Peugeot e208 and Opel Corsa-e, which implies an electric motor rated at 136 PS (134 hp / 100 kW).
Yet another guess its that it may go on sale in two variants: ICE (a compact turbo engine) and hybrid (whether mild or PHEV). All-wheel-drive will probably not make the cut in the first generation.
Production is expected to take place at Stellantis factories in Poland and India. An Alfa Romeo clone of it may come out at a later date, too.