Jeep Cherokee Hybrid, Chrysler Pacifica EV Are on the Way
Stellantis’ debuts at the 2024 Los Angeles Auto Show this week were nothing more than special editions of the Fiat 500e and Chrysler Pacifica. However, two future electrified vehicles were also confirmed by some of the automaker’s top execs.
First, Jeep CEO Antonio Filosa told journalists on hand that a new hybrid SUV will arrive in 2025. It won’t be a plug-in hybrid model like the Wrangler 4xe or Grand Cherokee 4xe, but rather a conventional hybrid, as hinted by another Jeep official in a late September interview with Automotive News.
- Also: Jeep Mulling Regular Hybrids to Complement 4xe PHEV Models
- Also: New Jeep Cherokee in the Works, Could Return in 2025
A gasoline-powered variant will be sold alongside the new hybrid. All signs point to Jeep reviving the Cherokee, which was discontinued in March 2023.
Look for the next-generation Cherokee to once again slot between the entry-level Compass and the midsized Grand Cherokee. As previously reported, the former will soon introduce a new generation of its own, to be built in Brampton, Ontario—a Jeep first. And it will be electrified, as well.
The second electrified vehicle that was confirmed at Stellantis this week is a battery-powered Pacifica. Chrysler CEO Christine Feuell made the announcement to Green Car Reports.
She said the design will take cues from both the existing minivan, which will be heavily refreshed for 2026, and the bold Halcyon concept that debuted last February (and not the previous Airflow concept). This would mean a launch in late 2026 or 2027.
A number of questions are still left unanswered, mind you, like what’s going to happen to the Pacifica Hybrid? And when will we finally see that crossover that was supposed to become the brand’s first EV in 2025?
More importantly, perhaps, will Chrysler even be alive in 2-3 years? Remember, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has threatened to axe under-performing brands in the second half of the decade. Ironically, the man himself will jump ship when his current contract expires in early 2026, meaning he will no longer have to deal with falling sales and profits, as well as angry dealers and worker unions.
