RECONsidered: Rugged Jeep Recon and fast Wagoneer S off the menu for Australia as brand looks to China for help to produce a Defender-rivalling hybrid and EV
Jeep has announced it will no longer launch right-hand drive versions of its flagship Jeep Recon 4×4 and luxurious Wagoneer S in markets like Australia.
Originally, the Wagoneer S that was launched back in 2024, along with the more recent Recon that’s just gone on sale in North America, were both tipped to land locally later this year or in 2027, until Jeep pulled the plug on right-hand drive production.
Speaking to Auto Express a Jeep spokesperson gave the reasoning behind pulling both models for markets like the UK and Australia: “Tough market conditions and the cost of right-hand drive development would have made these cars untenable, especially considering the small sales projections.”
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With news that the Jeep Wrangler is not capable of being upgraded to meet tougher emissions and safety regulations in Europe, Jeep is now racing to develop a more cost-effective replacement to ensure it still has a rival for the Land Rover Defender.
The solution dreamt up by Jeep bosses is to begin work on a new rugged SUV that will be twinned with a Dongfeng, as part of a joint venture with the Chinese car-maker.
Primed to blend US styling, with Jeep’s famed off-road capability and Euro-friendly hybrid and all-electric powertrains, the American SUV brand hopes the Chinese brand’s manufacturing and engineering capacities will help deliver the new vehicle in a fraction of the time and cost, compared with going ahead alone.
Already fast-tracked, the new SUV will land as soon as late 2027, with the all-wheel drive 4×4 developed for right-hand drive markets.
It’s been reported that, as well as the design, Jeep will be responsible for the engineering of the all-new vehicle.
To help boost sales in Europe, as well as introducing the Jeep Dongfeng 4×4, Jeep has confirmed it is also developing three new European SUVs that will join the Avenger and Compass available within the region.
At the top of the list is a small all-electric and hybrid replacement for the 12-year-old Jeep Renegade that is still on sale in Latin America but was axed in Australia as far back as 2020.
A tougher small-to-mid-size SUV is also on the way for buyers who want an SUV with real off-road capability but can’t stretch to the new Jeep-Dongfeng model, or the likes of the Land Rover Defender.
All three are expected to be based on the all-new STLA-One platform being developed by parent Stellantis and come with hybrid, plug-in hybrid and full-EV power and get the new STLA Brain supercomputer, with some models even gaining new chassis tech like steer-by-wire.
The next Renegade, meanwhile, is due in 2027 and will sit above the Avenger and is built to head off the likes of the new Volkswagen ID. Cross and next-generation Ford Puma and Nissan Juke EV, with Jeep confident the availability of hybrid power should attract buyers not ready for its rivals’ all-electric powertrains.
Set to replicate the old model’s boxy upright styling, the new model will come with aggressively low pricing that could see it challenge rivals like the Jaecoo J7, Omoda 5 and Geely EX2 if exported to the Australian market.
