Affordable Jeep electric vehicle coming to the U.S. “soon” | Wilnesh News

star Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said on Wednesday that he plans to launch a $25,000 all-electric Jeep in the United States “soon” to better serve the company as EV adoption is slower than expected. Appeal to mainstream consumers.

Tavares revealed some details about the upcoming vehicle, saying it would be priced around $25,000 in the U.S. to emulate the pricing of the Stellantis Citroen e-C3 SUV, a low-cost model that starts in Europe at $25,000. 23,300 Euros (approximately US$25,200).

“Just like we brought a 20,000-euro Citroën e-C3, you will soon have a $25,000 Jeep,” he said at a launch event on Wednesday. Bernstein Investor Conference. “We use the same expertise and because we are a global company, this is completely fluid within the engineering world at Stellantis.”

According to it, Stellantis currently offers an all-electric version of the Avenger SUV in Europe, with a starting price of about 35,000 euros (about $37,800). website. The vehicle is not sold in the United States, where the automaker focuses on plug-in hybrid Jeeps.

Offering new electric vehicles for around $25,000 has long been a goal of automakers like Stellantis. Tesla and others. The importance of such vehicles has become more apparent as Chinese automakers such as BYD and NIO sell cheaper electric vehicles outside China.

“If you asked me what an affordable pure electric car is, I would say 20,000 euros in Europe and $25,000 in the United States,” Tavares said. “So our job is to bring a safe, clean and affordable all-electric vehicle to the United States for $25,000. We’re going to do it.”

Jeep’s first all-electric vehicle in the U.S. is expected to be the large Wagoneer S SUV, due later this year. The company is set to officially unveil the car in New York on Thursday. A Jeep Wrangler-inspired off-road vehicle called the Recon is also expected to launch this year.

Tavares said on Wednesday that the company expects to achieve cost parity with all-electric vehicles and traditional combustion engine vehicles within the next “up to three years” to better compete with the growing “Chinese invasion” of affordable electric vehicles.

“This is a very challenging time, very chaotic, very Darwinian,” Tavares said of Chinese competitors, the transition to electric vehicles and potential consolidation in the auto industry. “We are in the midst of a storm that will last for several years.”

Tavares’ comments come amid growing geopolitical tensions in the United States, Europe and elsewhere over Chinese-made electric vehicles. Many inside and outside the auto industry worry that cheaper Chinese-made cars will flood the market, undermining the price of domestically produced electric vehicles.

Tavares also said U.S. tariffs on Chinese electric vehicles could delay their expansion into the U.S. but would not completely stop it.

“Yes, time will help, but you can’t stop competition,” Tavares said. “Putting you in a protectionist bubble is not going to help you become more competitive… If your strategy is to shrink and stay in the bubble, it will buy you time but it will certainly cut into your future.”

The 100% tariffs announced by the Biden administration earlier this month are higher than the current import tax of about 25% and cover electric vehicles imported from China, but may still leave room for typically cheaper Chinese models to drive down domestic prices and Leaving loopholes for imported cars made in China. It also does nothing to solve the current or future problems with gas-powered vehicles being imported into the United States from communist countries