Jeep has signed an agreement with Dongfeng according to which the American brand’s two new electrified SUVs will be designed in China using locally sourced components. Neither will be frame-based, and while both will be initially released for the Chinese domestic market, they are eventually expected to go on sale worldwide.
For its part, Jeep assures us that the vehicles – model names still unknown – will handle and feel like true Jeeps. Both will be offered with hybrid and all-electric powertrain options to choose from, but what those will be remains likewise announced.
The development will start in 2027. All production is supposed to be handled by the Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen joint enterprise in China. This is rather remarkable, because back in 2024, Jeep publicly severed all ties with its Chinese vendors and suppliers, proclaiming that it no longer had any intention to source its parts from that country. Looks like the ongoing financial struggles at Stellantis forced its hand. At any rate, chances are good we’ll soon see the first largely China-made Jeeps on sale for the first time on record.
At least one of these SUVs is expected to arrive in Europe before the end of 2027. We have no further details at this point, though. The body-on-frame Jeep Wrangler is set to retire from the European market this year, but since neither of the new SUVs mentioned above are frame-based, they probably won’t be marketed as a full-fledged replacement of the Wrangler.