“Looking at the customer analysis, there is a clear difference between a four-metre-long car that is mainly addressing the needs of compactness of some of our European customers, and a bigger 4.25 to 4.3-metre-long vehicle that addresses more the needs of a young family that maybe start having some kids or have a very active lifestyle. These are the sort of people who need to bring more stuff, so they need more space in the second row, more boot space,” he said.
Is it going to be another electric SUV?
Brand boss Peugeot hinted to us that he sees a market for the new Renegade in various regions, not just Europe. That’s why we suspect it will sit on parent company Stellantis’ new STLA One platform: a global, modular, highly scalable architecture that’s being rolled out next year, and can accommodate simple combustion, efficient hybrid and pure-electric powertrains.
Montepeloso emphasised the importance of Jeep’s philosophy of ‘Freedom of Choice’ when it comes to new products. Like many other brands, Jeep wants to offer customers a wide selection of powertrains, so they can choose the one that suits them best.
“It’s absolutely a pillar of our strategy in Europe,” the product boss told us. “If you want to be relevant in all markets, you need to have a wide offering of powertrains to adapt to the different needs of the market.
“We need to stick with this philosophy,” he continued. “We need to give our customers this freedom, it’s key for sales. And I also think we need to stay flexible at this stage towards any potential evolution of the regulations in Europe.”
Critically, the new Jeep Renegade will be available with four-wheel drive, as will all the other new models being launched, Peugeot promised us, as a key part of the brand’s DNA.
Can’t wait for the new Renegade? You can buy the current Jeep Renegade for just over £27,000 through our Buy a Car service.
