{"id":769005,"date":"2026-06-30T02:54:21","date_gmt":"2026-06-30T02:54:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/769005\/"},"modified":"2026-06-30T02:54:21","modified_gmt":"2026-06-30T02:54:21","slug":"jeep-australia-sticking-with-wrangler-new-chinese-bronco-rival-firming","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/769005\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeep Australia sticking with Wrangler, new Chinese Bronco rival firming"},"content":{"rendered":"

Jeep has detailed its product plans for the rest of the decade in Europe, but don\u2019t expect Australia to follow these to the letter.<\/p>\n

For example, Jeep recently discontinued the Wrangler<\/a> in Europe for 2026, following its withdrawal of the related Gladiator<\/a> ute there in 2023, but the brand won\u2019t follow suit here.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Wrangler and Gladiator will continue on in Australia,\u201d said a Jeep Australia spokesperson.<\/p>\n

As in Europe, however, Jeep is set to receive fresh metal via parent Stellantis\u2019 partnership with Dongfeng. <\/p>\n

Looking for your next car? We’ll help you\u00a0research\u00a0<\/a>and\u00a0compare<\/a>\u00a0so you choose with confidence.<\/p>\n

\"JeepJeep Wrangler<\/p>\n

Per Autocar<\/a> and Motor1<\/a>, Jeep has detailed its European product plans out to 2030, though it has stopped short of providing specific launch timings.<\/p>\n

The American off-road brand will launch a new \u2018D-SUV\u2019 co-developed with Dongfeng to slot in between the small\/medium Italian-built Compass<\/a> (offered with mild-hybrid, plug-in hybrid and electric powertrains) and the Mexican-built large Recon SUV (currently electric-only).<\/p>\n

The Recon is due on sale in Europe in 2027, but is reportedly no longer planned for a UK launch. It\u2019s unclear if the electric SUV will still be produced in right-hand drive; additionally, the Wagoneer S with which it shares its STLA Large platform also doesn\u2019t feature in Jeep\u2019s UK or European product plans. This casts doubt as to whether either of these American-developed SUVs will be offered in Australia.<\/p>\n

The new D-SUV is set to be similar in size to the Recon, which measures 4.9m long. That could make it a rival to the Ford Bronco New Energy, another model co-developed with a Chinese automaker (in this case, JMC) but bearing an iconic American name.<\/p>\n

\"JeepJeep Recon<\/p>\n

Jeep Europe boss Fabio Catone told Autocar the new D-SUV is a \u201cglobal Jeep project that will be sold in China and other regions, including Europe\u201d but insisted it’s a \u201cvehicle fully designed by Jeep\u201d.<\/p>\n

He described it as being like \u201can iPhone model, in which the technical features of the design are fully lined with the identity of the brand but we leverage on the industrial footprint\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jeep has reportedly emphasised the new D-SUV will be designed and engineered in-house, albeit based on a platform co-developed with Dongfeng, and that it won\u2019t be a simple rebadge. <\/p>\n

Electric and electrified powertrains are planned. That could see the D-SUV offered as a full EV and also as either a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) or extended-range electric vehicle (EREV).<\/p>\n

\"M-HeroM-Hero M817\"M-HeroM-Hero M917<\/p>\n

Jeep announced earlier this year it would commence production in China of two new SUVs developed with Dongfeng in 2027, described as \u201cinitially two Jeep-branded off-road new energy vehicles for global markets\u201d.<\/p>\n

Dongfeng has experience building off-roaders, offering a pair of them under its M-Hero brand: the 5.1m-long M817 PHEV, and the M917 which is available as an electric vehicle (EV) or EREV, and measures just under five metres long.<\/p>\n

This partnership with Dongfeng is part of a revised Stellantis strategy that will see Jeep positioned more clearly as one of the automotive giant\u2019s four core global brands.<\/p>\n

In May, Jeep Australia hinted it would launch vehicles co-developed with Dongfeng<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re excited about the opportunities presented through Stellantis\u2019 collaboration with Dongfeng and Tata, particularly for markets in APAC [Asia-Pacific and China],\u201d said a spokesperson for Jeep Australia.<\/p>\n

\"NissanNissan Frontier Pro\"MazdaMazda CX-6e\"FordFord Bronco New Energy\"HyundaiHyundai Elexio<\/p>\n

\u201cThese developments are an important part of Stellantis\u2019 global product strategy, and we look forward to sharing more details for Australia in the future.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Jeep brand remains fully committed to the Australian market and Stellantis continues to invest heavily in its global product portfolio,” the spokesperson added.<\/p>\n

Should Jeep launch this new D-SUV in Australia, it won’t be alone in launching a model co-developed with a Chinese brand.<\/p>\n

Besides the aforementioned Ford Bronco New Energy, which is all but confirmed for Australia, Mazda has its 6e<\/a> electric liftback and CX-6e<\/a> electric SUV developed with Changan, while Hyundai has its Elexio<\/a> electric SUV developed with BAIC. Nissan is also expected to release vehicles co-developed with Dongfeng, including the Frontier Pro<\/a> dual-cab PHEV ute.<\/p>\n

\"JeepJeep Compass \u2013 new generation<\/p>\n

In addition to the new D-SUV, Jeep Europe is planning two new SUVs to slot in between the light Avenger<\/a> and small\/medium Compass, with at least one set to be based on the new STLA One platform and offer a choice of internal-combustion, hybrid and electric powertrains, with available all-wheel drive.<\/p>\n

Like the new D-SUV, these have yet to be named, though one could dust off the Renegade nameplate. Jeep’s approach to this segment is reminiscent of the original Compass and Patriot, with one model set to be more overtly SUV-styled.<\/p>\n

Referred to as \u2018B-SUVs\u2019, these two new models are being developed specifically for Europe. It\u2019s unclear if these vehicles will come to Australia. <\/p>\n

Given their platform, they could be produced in Europe, which could prove a handicap for Jeep Australia.<\/p>\n

\"JeepJeep Avenger<\/p>\n

The Avenger is produced in Poland, but while it\u2019s proved popular in Europe it has stumbled in Australia given the availability of rivals from markets such as China that either undercut it or offer more metal for the money.<\/p>\n

The light electric SUV is one of just three models currently offered by Jeep in Australia, with the others being the Wrangler and Gladiator.<\/p>\n

Jeep recently sold the last examples of its previous-generation Compass, and the new-generation model on sale in Europe has yet to appear here. <\/p>\n

The Grand Cherokee<\/a> still appears on its website, but it was axed last year \u2013 though Jeep\u2019s official line at the time was that it had \u201cpaused\u201d the model for Australia.<\/p>\n

MORE: Jeep Australia expected to source vehicles from China, India<\/a>
MORE: Explore the Jeep showroom<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jeep has detailed its product plans for the rest of the decade in Europe, but don\u2019t expect Australia…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":769006,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[64,63,44],"class_list":["post-769005","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769005","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=769005"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/769005\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/769006"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=769005"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=769005"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=769005"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}