The Upcoming All-Electric Jeep® B-SUV Could Be Wearing A Familiar Nameplate!

During its “Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan presentation“, Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares showed off a couple of slides of the Jeep® brand’s first-ever 100% battery-electric vehicle (BEV). The new B-segment SUV should be slightly smaller than the globally popular Renegade and offer a more affordable electrified vehicle to the Jeep masses.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Internally known as the “Project 516“, several sources on the interwebs have indicated that the vehicle has been nicknamed “Jeep Junior“ within Stellantis. However, some recent information by those sources says that the vehicle could be wearing a familiar nameplate once it arrives in Q1 of 2023.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Recently, the Jeep brand reintroduced the “Jeepster” nameplate for the 2020 model year on the compact Jeep Renegade Sport. The special edition continued on through last year, where it paid homage to the original Jeepster produced from 1948 to 1950. The Jeepster was developed to fill in a gap in the brand’s lineup left open by the passenger car segment. About 20,000 of the original Jeepster vehicles were produced.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

In 1966, the brand introduced the C-101 Jeepster Commando, that vehicle held the Jeepster nameplate until 1972. Since then, two concepts have carried the Jeepster name, one a 1998 concept vehicle and one showcased at the annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

For the 2022 model year, the Jeepster name has disappeared from the Renegade lineup. We expect it is a move from Jeep to distance the Jeepster name from the Renegade, for use on the new B-segment electric Jeep. And since Jeepster is currently a trademarked name owned by FCA US, LLC (Stellantis), it makes a lot of sense that the name could return.

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

If you remember, the Renegade name was used long before the introduction of the B-segment SUV in 2015. The Renegade name appeared as a trim on several models prior to 2015. Vehicles like the iconic CJ, Wrangler (YJ), and Liberty (KJ). The name was then used on a 2008 hybrid concept vehicle and a 2011 Moab Easter Jeep Safari concept.