Stellantis dealer briefing hints at midsize Ram, Jeep Recon, Dodge Stealth
With dealers returning to regular life after Stellantis’ Dealer Business Meeting 2023 in Las Vegas last week, bits of intel are escaping. Between reports in Automotive News, Mopar Insiders, and a now-deleted Reddit thread that Carscoops dissected, we can make out rough details about a few products on the way for Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram stores across the country. We’ll start with Chrysler, which got the least attention during the event. The Pentastar, starved of product as if it were Stellantis’ version of Jaguar, appears to have a refreshed Pacifica minivan in the works and continues to develop its first EV, due by 2025. That’s the alpha and the omega there, at least publicly.
Jeep’s making moves on several fronts. The Jeep Recon forum got photos of an electrified concept brought to the meeting, the Recon Moab 4xe (pictured). It looks like an upsized Renegade, its tire size thought to be 285/70R17, same as the stock Wrangler Rubicon. Head to the thread to see the rest of the photos.
The end of the Cherokee is but a hiatus, Appearance-wise, a new version in the works is said to be a smaller version of the Grand Cherokee L that’s about the same size as the outgoing model. When it launches in late 2024 as a 2025MY SUV, it could debut with a new name as well as hybrid and electric powertrains. The Grand Cherokee L, meanwhile, will get a mid-cycle refresh in 2025.
Adding to information previously reported about the 2024 Jeep Wrangler range, the 2024 Gladiator is said to get a Willys trim with upgraded spec. Mopar Insiders had cited communication to dealers that the Wrangler Willys would improve capability thanks to higher ground clearance and what’s expected to be a gripper off-road wheel and tire package. At the dealer meeting, Jeep reps apparently said the Gladiator Willys would get high fenders, a locking rear axle, and 33-inch tires. The current Gladiator Willys fits a Trac-Lok limited-slip rear differential and 32-inch mud terrain tires. The tow rating for the Gladiator range could see an increase from 7,650 pounds to 7,700 pounds.
Above that, the Wagoneer range will expand with a 4xe version thought to come by next year.
In the Dodge camp, the big news would be that the next Charger won’t only be electric. Brand reps allegedly told dealers the car, which will come as a four-door despite the attention lavished on the two-door concept making the rounds, will get an internal combustion engine option. In fact, reports say it will get two, both the Standard Output (SO) and High Output (HO) versions of the new 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six offered a spot in the engine bay.
All those happy to see retired brand names come back to life will be thrilled to hear the Dodge Stealth is rumored to be a thing again in the next few years. It won’t be the sports coupe of old, though, but the new moniker for the remade Dodge Durango. The next-gen of the three-row SUV is claimed to keep the three-row layout wrapped in a “drastically different” body called more along the lines of “what people are looking for.”
Ram might have created the biggest buzz by showing a midsize pickup concept. A Ram dealer told Automotive News, “”We’re going to be back in that [midsize] game,” and, “Without a doubt, it looks like a Ram.” Descriptions categorize it as perhaps more of a lifestyle pickup, Mopar Insiders characterizing reports as the midsizer’s “sporty design” focused on the U.S. market and “geared towards customers who enjoy pickups but don’t necessarily utilize them as work truck.”
Finally, the Ram 1500 Revolution battery-electric pickup is said to get two range options, one going 350 miles on a charge, the other 500 miles. If the reported 14,000-pound tow rating hits the market, the Ram could open a new front in pickup to rating battles, this time on the electric side.
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