Stellantis Gives Us A Sneak Peek At The Upcoming Jeep® Junior Mini-Compact SUV!

In a surprising move during Stellantis’ “Strategic Plan” presentation, CEO Carlos Tavares showed a couple of slides showcasing a new Jeep® battery-electric vehicle (BEV). The new BEV will slot below the globally popular Renegade model and will ultimately bring an even more affordable electric vehicle offering to the masses.

Internally known as the “Junior” or “Project 516”, the new all-electric Jeep vehicle is expected to join and be built alongside a few other mini-compact BEVs from the automaker from the Alfa Romeo, FIAT, and maybe even Citroën. The Jeep product has been in the works for several years, even before the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Peugeot S.A. (PSA). 

According to the information released during the Stellantis EV Day 2021 presentation, due to the timeline, the new mini-compact SUV will not be based on the all-new STLA Small architecture, instead will be built upon the second-generation eCMP platform. This is due to the fact that Stellantis has already announced that the STLA Small architecture won’t debut until the 2026 model year.

Our sources have indicated that the new mini-Jeep will in fact have an electronic all-wheel-drive (eAWD) as an option. Front-wheel-drive (FWD) will remain standard and the product should feature not just BEVs, but mild-hybrid (mHEV) as well. It will be the only variant of the four possible models coming (Alfa Romeo, FIAT, and Citroën being the others) to offer an AWD capability.

The sketches of the new Jeep Junior show the mini-compact to share some styling characteristics with the recently unveiled 2023 Jeep Renegade. The vehicle continues the “shark fin” D-pillar, a popular design for the smaller Jeep vehicles like the Compass. We also see that the rear door handles will be located in the C-pillar of the car, providing a more sleek exterior. 

At the front of the vehicle, the Junior will not feature the traditional rounded headlights from the Renegade. Instead LED headlamps with be located in a curvy headlamp design with a LED daytime running light (DRL) running on the brow of the lens. LED fog lights are fixed up high, shown on the updated Compass and all-new Commander D-SUV. Over the vehicle looks very handsome, and very Jeep.

It is expected that the vehicle will be sold exclusively in Europe, the Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) region. But if demand is large enough, we are sure Jeep could consider such a product elsewhere.

So what do you think of the new Jeep “Junior”? Let us know in the comments below or in the MoparInsiders.com forums.