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After launching the electric version, Jeep is set to expand its city SUV line-up with petrol models that could be the brand's most affordable new cars.
A mild-hybrid petrol version of the Jeep Avenger city electric SUV is firming for Australia as a new entry point – on size and possibly price – to the US brand's range.
The Avenger has launched in Australia as an electric vehicle, priced from $49,990 plus on-road costs – the first in the company's range.
But as electric-car demand cools – and battery-powered vehicles continue to only account for about 10 per cent of the market – Jeep is likely to add a more affordable petrol model.
"At the moment we're excited to launch the BEV [battery-electric vehicle]," Stellantis Australia product manager for small and compact models, Bridget Thomson, told Australian media at the Avenger BEV's launch event.
"But I definitely wouldn't rule out any future powertrain enhancement in the future."
Pressed on plans for cheaper petrol Avengers, Thomson said: "I don't want to rule any specific powertrains out. But I do think that there's more opportunity for this car outside of just the BEV."
In Europe, base-model Avengers are powered by a 1.2-litre turbo-petrol engine matched with a six-speed manual transmission.
Given manuals account for only a few per cent of new-car sales, a mild-hybrid version of the 1.2-litre engine is offered with a six-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission.
Unlike other mild-hybrid vehicles, the Avenger e-Hybrid can be driven at low speeds on electric power – though only for about a kilometre, and at speeds below 30km/h – and claims fuel consumption of 4.9L/100km.
The e-Hybrid combines a 74kW/205Nm petrol engine with a 21kW/55Nm electric motor integrated into the transmission, and a small 0.9kWh battery pack running at 48 volts that is mounted under the driver's seat.
An all-wheel-drive '4xe' version is available, with a 100kW/230Nm petrol engine and another 21kW motor on the rear axle. Jeep says it can climb 40 per cent grades, aided by optional all-terrain tyres.
Prices for a mild-hybrid Avenger in Australia are of course yet to be confirmed, but in Italy – where small Jeep cars are popular – the electric variant costs about 40 per cent more than the front-wheel-drive mild-hybrid.
It could mean prices ranging from about $36,000 to $44,000 plus on-road costs in Australia, undercutting the Compass e-Hybrid ($45,990) as the brand's most affordable new model.
It would become Jeep's cheapest new car since an update to the Compass range pushed it above the $30,000 mark in 2020.
Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family.
