Jeep

Jeep’s latest electric concept moves more like a high-performance sports car than an off-roader.

The 4×4 specialists have just unveiled a heavily upgraded version of its battery-powered Wrangler Magneto concept in the lead up to the 56th annual Moab Jeep Easter Safari. The SUV prototype doesn’t look radically different from its predecessor but does something it couldn’t even come close to accomplishing—rocket from zero to 60 mph in just two seconds.

Just like the prototype unveiled before last year’s event, which was Jeep’s first all-electric concept, the Magneto 2.0 features an all-electric drivetrain powered by an 800-volt battery pack. But unlike the first iteration, which had an electric motor as muscular as the Wrangler’s V-6, meaning it produced 285 hp and 274 ft lbs of torque, the new version has a custom axial flux electric motor that can generate 625 horses and 850 ft lbs of twist.

Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 all-electric concept 

Jeep

The new mill is connected to a six-speed manual transmission that sends power to all four wheels and has been designed to hold peak amperage for up to 10 seconds—something that brand says is basically like “electronic nitrous oxide”—a feature that allows it to go from a standstill to 60 mph in only two seconds. It took the first Magneto 6.8 seconds to do the same. Jeep didn’t say anything about its range, but that’s certainly an impressive performance mark.
Output isn’t the only difference between versions 1.0 and 2.0 of the Magneto. The new version’s chassis has been extended by 12 inches to make room for the new powertrain and is equipped with Pro-Rock Dynatrac 60 front axle, a Dynatrac 80 rear axle, custom driveshaft and an off-road suspension. It also has an all-new carbon-fiber B-pillar, bikini top, three-inch lift kit and rides on a set of 20-inch wheels wrapped in 40-inch knobby off-road tires. Finally, its two-door body is finished in a unique Surf Blue and white livery.
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While the Magneto 2.0 certainly looks production ready it won’t be the first Jeep EV to roll off the assembly line. Last month, the brand shared images of an as-yet-unnamed battery-powered SUV that it plans to put into production next year. Details are close to non-existent at this point but it looks like it will be based on the Compass crossover. An all-electric Wrangler is expected to follow in 2024.
Here’s hoping it’s more like the Magneto 2.0 than not.

America’s most famous SUV specialist is finally going electric.

Jeep shared the first images of its debut series production EV at a press event on Tuesday. The SUV, which currently does not yet have a name, will be here soon, too. Parent company Stellantis said it hopes to launch the vehicle next year.
As exciting as Jeep’s first EV may be, some brand loyalists will surely be disappointed that the SUV is not based on the Grand Cherokee or Wrangler. Unfortunately, the company’s first battery-powered offering looks quite similar to the brand’s compact crossover, the Compass. The only real differences we can spot are more protective cladding and a faux grille with what looks like an illuminated “e” on it. It’s not the first design that leaps to mind when you think of the 77-year-old brand, but perhaps that’s the point.

Jeep’s first all-electric SUV 

Jeep

Beyond its exterior, the only other thing we know about the marque’s first EV is that it will arrive in early 2023. The unnamed vehicle isn’t the only battery-powered Jeep to look forward to, though. The all-electric Wrangler is expected to follow in 2024. The brand, which already sells several plug-in hybrid models, announced last summer that it plans to sell “zero-emission” versions of all its vehicles by 2025. Though no specific models have been confirmed, that would suggest that a Rubicon EV is also on the way.
Jeep sister company Ram, also teased its first EVs, the ProMaster EV and battery-powered Ram 1500. The van will be released in 2023, after Jeep’s first EV. Meanwhile, the Ram 1500 is set to launch in 2024. Stellantis brand Dodge also has its first electric muscle car due that year.

A teaser image of the battery-powered Ram 1500 

Ram

Stellantis acknowledged that it’s late to the electric truck party but claimed that its first battery-powered pickup will beat the competition in terms of range, charge times, towing and payload, according to Car and Driver. Neither Stellants or Ram offered information about the truck’s rumored range extender, but they did share a more revealing images of the vehicle.
The electric revolution has been underway for a while now. It appears that Jeep has finally accepted it.

Concept vehicles are usually about one thing and one thing only: the future. Thankfully, Jeep decided to go against the grain with its latest prototype, and the results look sublime.

In preparation for its upcoming Easter Jeep Safari brand event in Moab, Utah, next month, the off-road specialist has just unveiled the Jeepster Beach. The open-top 4×4 concept takes the mill from the 2020 Wrangler Rubicon and drops it into the body of an old-school, ’60s-era Jeepster Commando.

Jeep Jeepster Beach concept vehicle 

Jeep

Built between 1966 and 1973, the original Jeepster Commando was a utility vehicle meant to compete with the likes of the Ford Bronco and Toyota Land Cruiser. Available as a pickup, wagon, convertible and roadster, the vehicle wasn’t able to sustain its initial popularity though it has attained cult status in the decades since being discontinued.

The Jeepster Beach is based on the 1968 convertible variant (C-101) of the vehicle but features a modernized body with softer lines that give it a more athletic shape. This is finished in a head-turning Hazy IPA bronze offset by a clever strip of Zinc Oxide white along the top lip of the cab. And because it’s a Jeep, it rides on a set of chunky, 35-inch all-terrain tires.
Open up the concept’s low-slung doors and you’ll find that the interior is not that different from the original vehicle. There are two rows of low-back bucket seats, all of which are covered in bold red leather. The dash has been given a modern-makeover, and features a digital gauge cluster and a large infotainment touch screen from which you can look up direction and select entertainment options.

Inside the Jeepster Beach 

Jeep

Underneath the hood is where you’ll find the biggest difference between the two Jeepsters. The Beach is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine just like the one you’ll find in the 2020 Rubicon. The high-tech mill is mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission and has been specially tuned so that it now delivers 340 horses and 369 ft lbs of twist, both increases of 25 percent. That should be more than enough to cut through the sand with ease.
Sadly, there’s no sign that Jeep’s rebooted Jeepster concept is anything more than a one off. Still, with winter over and summer out there on the horizon, one can dream.