The 2020 Jeep Renegade Will Offer A PHEV Variant:
The Renegade Will Be The First Vehicle With FCA's New PHEV System...
You may remember that quite a while ago, we published spy pictures of a Jeep Renegade testing with a lightning bolt symbol on its windshield. We speculated that this meant a Renegade would soon be offered with some sort of electrification, possibly the eTorque mild-hybrid system.
Thanks to European sources, we now believe that it is actually a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant of the Renegade. We believe that early in 2020, the PHEV variant of the Jeep Renegade will go on sale.
This is an all-new PHEV architecture for FCA. It’s not the same one used in the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. This system is the P1P4 system. P4 means that it will have an e-axle – in this case, a rear one, so a driveshaft will not be necessary.
Development of this system took place mostly at an Italian research and development center. The Jeep Renegade PHEV is a crucial part of FCA plan to reach 2021 fleet CO2 emission for EU market, but we believe this will not be limited to European markets – most likely, it will also be offered in North America.
The heart of this system will be the new 1.3-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder engine with 180 horsepower that is found on the 2019 Jeep Renegade, replacing the 2.4-liter Tigershark inline four-cylinder on the Limited and Trailhawk trim levels. Our sources indicate that together with an electric motor, this powertrain will offer a total output of around 250 horsepower.
As you can see in the picture above, a slide from the latest 5-year plan, the P1P4 system used on the 2020 Renegade PHEV will spread to other vehicles in the FCA lineup as well. It is not confirmed, but the Jeep Compass would be a good recipient of this powertrain since it shares a stretched version of the Small US Wide (SUSW) architecture on which the Renegade (and Fiat 500X are based).
Stay tuned to MoparInsiders as more details arrive on FCA’s exciting new engines. Thanks to our forum member Bili for heavily contributing to this article.
2020 Jeep Renegade PHEV Image Gallery:
