Here's a link to a (supposed) "gift" article; hope it works: Jeep Gladiator 4xe canceled

 

Some excerpts in case link doesn't work:

 

Headline should read "Stellantis Pulls Plug on Plug-In Gladiator"

Sorry, I couldn't resist. It is just hard to take seriously anything Stellantis says any more.

 

Bob Sheaves predicted 40,000 sales per year, at a high profit, for this.

I don't know if any 4xe will survive the next year, really.

Additional powertrain options means 392, which was already announced, and probably 5.7, because nothing can't be solved with a V8. What might actually please some customers more is reasonably decent gas mileage, e.g. the Cherokee solution.

Though Gladiator isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

EPA MPG (Combined)
Gladiator: 19
Tacoma 4x4: 23 (2.4 turbo automatic), 21 (SR5/Off-Road 4x4 2.4 auto), 20 (4xe manual)
Colorado 4x4: 19 (2.7), 18 (mud terrain tires), 17 (2.7 turbo), 16 (ZR2 Bison)
Ranger 4x4: 22 (2.3 turbo auto), 20 (2.7 V6 turbo auto), 17 (Raptor).

 

Bob Sheaves predicted 40,000 sales per year, at a high profit, for this.

Sadly, that is below Frontier and Ridgeline volumes.

Stellantis would have been capable of so much more...had they gone with a proper Dodge/Ram work pickup.

 

How much life does the Gladiator itself have?

That said I guess we're at the "we didn't do it well at first so we're not even gonna try" phase of Stellantis. Just like the Dart and 200 before it.

I personally LOVE my 4xe and was hoping for them to improve on it. I was luckily spared from any issues related to the recalls, but damn if this one doesn't hurt a bit for me.

I will repeat my feeling. These moves away from EV's and now away from PHEV's is very shortsighted by Stellantis.

 

How much life does the Gladiator itself have?

Ironically, my 2023 Gladiator is the best "Wrangler" I have ever owned: it rides smoothly, tracks straight on the freeway, has a quiet cabin (thanks to the rear axle sitting outside) and, so far, has been the most trouble-free Jeep I have owned --right up there with my 2001 WJ.

 

Until things change, they have little choice. They will have to build what they can sell, and electrics aren't what they were even a year ago.

 

The 4xe is a great product when it works. It’s not demand, its quality. Recalls and battery replacements are scaring away new customers. I’m hearing of a power loss issue in GC 4xe’s, not a good look. I mean it’s obvious what needs to be fixed.

Also there is another presidential election in 3 years. Things could change quickly again.

I always liked the gladiator and was looking forward to this.

The thing is there is enthusiast cars such as V8s and cars that you can daily, for the wrangler the 4xe makes it livable over its gas sibling because you can get 30+ mpg around town vs 18-22. I don’t agree with the political nature of ev/phevs, sometimes they just have a use case that makes sense.

 

The 4xe is a great product when it works. It’s not demand, its quality. Recalls and battery replacements are scaring away new customers. I’m hearing of a power loss issue in GC 4xe’s, not a good look. I mean it’s obvious what needs to be fixed.

...and by denying warranty claims, by dealers telling customers to go away and pretending that the problem doesn't exist, only made 4Xe's situation untenable.

 

There should be no political nature to EVs, but just about everything is “political” now. Bud Light, over one lousy promotional can they made, does that ring a bell? How about adding vegetarian sausage to a restaurant menu? That brought up a firestorm of political idiocy.

 

Stellantis is incapable of delivering a quality plug in hybrid. They never ironed out the issues in Pacifica Hybrid. Wrangler 4xe is being pushed to rental fleets, a sure sign quality issues are hurting sales. Grand Cherokee 4xe isn’t doing well with the lower loss issue.
The sad part is when the work, they are great. I’ve list any trust in their ability to provide a plug in hybrid with good hardware and good software. They were just too cheap.

 

Wrangler 4xe is being pushed to rental fleets, a sure sign quality issues are hurting sales. Grand Cherokee 4xe isn’t doing well with the lower loss issue.

I remember when STLA was pushing Wrangler 4Xe on customers. Two years ago a big CDJR dealer in Seattle had dozens of Wrangler 4Xes listed for 10% down and monthly lease payments in the $200/month range. Yes, that deal included the $7,500 tax credit, but you could not get anything else for that kind of money, other than a Honda Civic.

They must have moved hundreds of Wranglers this way. I wonder how many of these customers are now willing to get another Jeep as the end of their lease approaches.

 

4xe would survived and expanded no matter the political climate had it been a quality product. Jeep could not deliver that, so now it’s easy to blame outside factors for Jeep’s failures rather than Jeep looking within.

 

Stellantis keeps canceling product plans left and right due to "low demand."

Thing is, when you establish a reputation for poor quality, "low demand" is the inevitable outcome.

 

STLA is reaping the "reward" of phoning it in with the 4xe. The entire system was prebuilt by ZF. Rather than actually get it to 100% they just seem to have buttoned it up and let it loose on customers. And now is an AMAZING time to mention ZF is now already 2 generations ahead of the 4xe. This next blurb is direct from ZF:

In the plug-in hybrid (PHEV) configuration, for example, the maximum electrical output increases from 160 kW to 200 kW and the maximum electrical torque from 500 Nm to 600 Nm. Losses at the input shaft are reduced by around 28 percent. Together with further functional development, this means that up to 10 percent more range is possible with the same battery capacity compared to the predecessor model. This is achieved while at the same time reducing the use of heavy rare earths, which in turn makes an important contribution to cost efficiency and sustainability. “The 8HP evo hybrid transmission has a modular design and therefore cost-effectively meets a wide range of requirements – for both mid-range and luxury vehicles,” said Scharrer.

10% range increase vs the Gen4!?! Which STLA never even put in a CDJR vehicle. To put things in better perspective, here are some specs:

2 Generation old 4xe ZF Hybrid (we are here)
Power: 100 kW (134hp)
Torque: 245 Nm (181 lb-ft)

Gen4 ZF Hybrid
Power: 160 kW (215hp)
Torque: 450 Nm (332 lb-ft)
Efficiency improvement vs prev gen: up to 13%

ZF 8HP Evo Hybrid
Power: 200 kW (268hp)
Torque: 600 Nm (443 lb-ft)
Efficiency improvement vs Gen4: up to 10%

Seriously, is STLA yet again choosing the "get out of the way" option? This was a slow pitch, and they couldn't even manage it. Sigh.

 

STLA is reaping the "reward" of phoning it in with the 4xe. The entire system was prebuilt by ZF. Rather than actually get it to 100% they just seem to have buttoned it up and let it loose on customers. And now is an AMAZING time to mention ZF is now already 2 generations ahead of the 4xe. This next blurb is direct from ZF:



10% range increase vs the Gen4!?! Which STLA never even put in a CDJR vehicle. To put things in better perspective, here are some specs:

2 Generation old 4xe ZF Hybrid (we are here)
Power: 100 kW (134hp)
Torque: 245 Nm (181 lb-ft)

Gen4 ZF Hybrid
Power: 160 kW (215hp)
Torque: 450 Nm (332 lb-ft)
Efficiency improvement vs prev gen: up to 13%

ZF 8HP Evo Hybrid
Power: 200 kW (268hp)
Torque: 600 Nm (443 lb-ft)
Efficiency improvement vs Gen4: up to 10%

Seriously, is STLA yet again choosing the "get out of the way" option? This was a slow pitch, and they couldn't even manage it. Sigh.

Wow!!! Just wow!!!
STLA does not deserve to own and manage Chrysler and its brands, a name known for technological advancements not that long ago...smh

 

Just a few years ago, Wrangler had one of the best resale values in the industry.
Remember when Daimler killed minivan resale - also once quite high - by flooding the market with prior-year models?

 

By contrast, Ford is pushing hard on its electrified vehicles.

 

But they've cut way back on production targets for both and put a full stop on the factory they were building in KY or TN (can't remember which) to build EVs. This is NOT just a STLA pivot, although STLA is arguably worse at it than Ford or GM. The only ones "full go" on their EV plans are the Koreans. Rivian is behind and slow-rolling new models, Lucid's in trouble, Tesla is behind although Elon will get them caught up one way or another.

 

One of the reasons, in my opinion, that Stellantis has gaps here besides bad management is theyre trying to handle EVs and ice at the same time. So they quit all ice development in favor of EVs a couple years ago. Now thanks to the government relaxing regs ice is coming back. Ford may be right in investing billions in EVs. Stellantis has other problems to deal with first. They at least have platforms now that are easily adapted back to EVs if the market changes. Although I dont think even if there's a change in politics after 28, I don't see EV mandates returning in the near future. Battery technology continues to evolve and with it better charge times and longer range as well. I'm not biting on an EV until some stability occurs and we ain't there yet. This reminds me of the early computer days. You bought one and its obsolete in a year.

 

They are stupid because the are assuming what is happening to make the most profit right now is what is going to happen forever.
Smart companies know there is a market for gas, electric, and hybrids.
This changing directions every few years is incredibly expensive and leaves the lineup bare.
Stellantis can’t compete in EVs for the same reason they can’t compete in gasoline. High prices, dubious quality, lack of updated designs the public wants.

 

The other problem is we have a company that stopped iterating. You cannot reasonably expect good results with "full stop" lifecycles. Wranger and GC 4xe should be been the intro and they should be announcing more hybridized vehicles, not less.

I am very torn with the company right now. On one hand their some good guts and some very attainable low hanging fruit. But if they continue down this very regressive path, there will not be a company to talk about.

They need to actually LEARN from their previous failures in gambling the market. If the political climate shifts dramatically again in 1-3 years, it will be the exact same conversation.

Just stop guessing, gambling, whatever. Have marketable vehicles beyond horsepower numbers, especially for when gas inevitably shoots back up in price. Have a solid electrified vehicle base. More than the now DOA Hornet, the slowly dying 4xes, the Cherokee, and the Recon maybe. I wont even count the Charger/WagS until they have sales in more than 4 figures. The problem is, the should have these vehicles out now. Not 2-3yrs from now.

 

The other problem is we have a company that stopped iterating.

I just wanted this to get emphasis.

Toyota was built on continuous improvement. The T100 was junk. The Tundra wasn’t. When the Corolla was not really competitive, they didn't drop it, they started over again and now it's back up in sales, with waiting lines at some dealers.

Chrysler was doing continuous improvement from at least 1991 onwards until Daimler came in with their white boiler suits and pretended to know better. Even then, they could improve a car each generation, instead of simply stopping it and maybe startnig over a year or three later.

That said, criticism of a company is hitting a moving target. For all we know that's stopped and one reason they dropped 4xe Gladiator was to put engineering into something else first.

People are still saying Wrangler 4xe gets an upgrade for 2026 based on old rumors. So far I’ve seen nothing from Jeep that confirms or denies this.

Nobody really knows. I'm guessing this late in the game it would be, in, not for.

 

I wonder if they're going to cancel the 4xe platform altogether.
I know it's anecdotal, but it seems like the socials regarding 4xe are just full of lemon laws and forced buybacks left and right. On top of poor peoples' vehicles sitting at dealers for months and months. While they're all making lease or loan payments, while stuck in some rental Renegade or Compass.

I love the 4xe. But I've also be acutely aware of how lucky I've been having only minor issues.

It's just so sad they've let this platform languish.
2025 is sunsetting and they've made barely any tangible improvements to the platform.
And this latest recall just shows that they don't even know how it work themselves.

At this point, the platform needs a full re-write.....or in Stellantis fashion, they'll probably just kill it?
It's all too bad.

 

I wonder if they're going to cancel the 4xe platform altogether.
I know it's anecdotal, but it seems like the socials regarding 4xe are just full of lemon laws and forced buybacks left and right. On top of poor peoples' vehicles sitting at dealers for months and months. While they're all making lease or loan payments, while stuck in some rental Renegade or Compass.

I love the 4xe. But I've also be acutely aware of how lucky I've been having only minor issues.

It's just so sad they've let this platform languish.
2025 is sunsetting and they've made barely any tangible improvements to the platform.
And this latest recall just shows that they don't even know how it work themselves.

At this point, the platform needs a full re-write.....or in Stellantis fashion, they'll probably just kill it?
It's all too bad.

Replaced by STLA Frame I'd guess.

 

People are still saying Wrangler 4xe gets an upgrade for 2026 based on old rumors. So far I’ve seen nothing from Jeep that confirms or denies this.

 

I look forward to the sticker package announcement soon

 

All this is true though it's all Tavares era. I am concerned that Filosa seems to have simply handed off North America without paying much attention.
Note how I am flagging that this sentence is MY PERCEPTION.

 

Sadly, this M.O. of giving up before efforts have a chance to bear fruit has been going on since Marchionne was in charge....for 10+ years...

I agree that Filosa appears to have handed off N.A. to Kuniskis without paying much attention.

When the sales reports and the profits reports come in showing N.A. still under-performing, Fillosa will have no choice but to pay attention. That's how it happened with Tavares, too.

Little has changed.

 

Sadly, this M.O. of giving up before efforts have a chance to bear fruit has been going on since Marchionne was in charge....for 10+ years...

I agree that Filosa appears to have handed off N.A. to Kuniskis without paying much attention.

When the sales reports and the profits reports come in showing N.A. still under-performing, Fillosa will have no choice but to pay attention. That's how it happened with Tavares, too.

Little has changed.

And what a bonehead to hand it off too. Keeping an eye on the NASCAR circles in the news, there seems to be a lot of feeling Ram has a half hearted attempt at re-entering the sport. From Tim not being familiar with the charter system, to not announcing drivers and claiming one team will field 5 cars. A bunch of it doesn't seem real.

 

I think you are jumping the shark here. STLA Frame is a BOF platform (or series of them) only. Hence the name. I doubt any crossovers will be built on it. Also, technically a crossover can't be on a BOF platform by definition (since the definition is that built on a raised unibody chassis vs traditional SUVs being BOF).

Does this imply a STLA Frame Wrangler will have excellent capability, no. But it also doesn't suggest the opposite.

 

I would expect STLA Frame to be a flexible frame platform. Able to be used for virtually all of Stellantis' trucks, at least most that are sold here in NA.

 

Or they call it a platform but it's just a grab-bag, that would work best IMHO. Wrangler is kind of an exceptional vehicle.

 

My guess here is that for any framed truck or SUV including Wrangler, it will be modular probably similar to what Toyota does. The exception will be the 2500 and up trucks. That's a whole different thing. I'd expect those trucks will use the frames they have now and whatever cabs will be adapted to those frames.

 

When you shorten and narrow it, wouldn't a redesign be better than trying to reuse something meant for a totally different purpose with different loads and challenges?

 

I believe frames are made by outside suppliers. So if there's new modular tech, one would think they would be the ones spearheading the development. AO Smith used to supply frames I believe, not sure who's left anymore.

 

Guess that would solidify that STLA Frame as more or less a platform in name only, and lends credence to the grab bag theory.

 

IF our speculation is true, yes.