Try our newest merchandise
The Jeep Gladiator 4xeplug-in hybrid (PHEV) has been axed on the eve of its launch, with mum or dad firm Stellantis confirming the information after a discover was despatched to part suppliers.
In accordance with Automotive Information, the automaker stated: “As clients’ propulsion preferences for battery-electric vehicles proceed to evolve, Stellantis is reassessing its product technique and can not embody an electrified Gladiator variant within the Jeep lineup.”
The present-generation Gladiator was launched globally in 2019, with the Australian model up to date earlier this month with a ‘streamlined’ vary, nonetheless powered solely by the Pentastar naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6.
The Gladiator 4xe – beforehand deliberate for a 2025 launch – has succumbed to the same international technique to scale back complexity from the lineup.
CarExpert can prevent 1000’s on a brand new automobile. Click on right here to get an incredible deal.
Stellantis Australia – which imports Jeep right here alongside different manufacturers together with Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Leapmotor – had not but confirmed the Gladiator 4xe as a part of the native lineup.
It will have been the third plug-in hybrid automobile (PHEV) from Jeep in Australia, following the Compass and Grand Cherokee 4xe, the latter of which gained’t get replaced as soon as present shares are offered.
A plug-in hybrid model of the Wrangler has been in manufacturing since December 2020, on the similar Toledo plant in Ohio the place the Gladiator is constructed. Nevertheless, it was by no means engineered for right-hand drive.
Likewise, a plug-in hybrid model of the Renegade provided in Europe was by no means launched right here.
The Gladiator 4xe’s axing comes amongst sweeping modifications at Stellantis globally, with a earlier pledge to EVs solely in Europe by 2030 scrapped earlier this month.
New CEO and former Jeep boss, Antonio Filosa, was put in in June after the controversial and sudden departure of earlier boss Carlos Tavares in December final 12 months.
Mr Filosa had confirmed the Gladiator 4xe when he was working Jeep, however unstable markets – pushed by altering emissions rules and US tariffs – have come as Stellantis posts important losses.
Within the first half of 2025, Stellantis posted a €2.3 billion loss (A$4.1 billion) towards a €5.6 billion (A$10.4 billion) revenue over the identical interval final 12 months.
Within the US, Jeep gross sales elevated by two per cent year-on-year between January and June 2025, pushed by the Gladiator with a 27 per cent development within the second quarter (April-June) and Wrangler gross sales up 23 per cent.
Australian Jeep gross sales over the identical timeframe had been down 19.2 per cent, with the Gladiator up 16.6 per cent.
“The Jeep model has already begun reinvesting funding to make sure the long-term development of the Jeep Gladiator and can introduce much more customer-requested manufacturing facility options, customisation, and extra powertrain choices within the close to future,” the automaker stated.
A kind of powertrain choices is about to be the 6.4-litre Apache V8, already used within the Wrangler within the US, which is able to energy an upcoming Gladiator Rubicon 392. It’s set to pump out the identical 336kW of energy and 610Nm of torque as its SUV counterpart.
It’s unlikely to come back to Australia, given the Wrangler Rubicon 392 was by no means engineered for right-hand drive.
Stellantis can be set to reintroduce V8s in Ram 1500 pickup vehicles within the US, pushed by modifications to emissions rules within the US, after dropping them for turbocharged six-cylinder engines final 12 months. The native return of the V8-powered 1500 has but to be confirmed by Ateco, which imports Ram autos in Australia.
MORE: Discover the Jeep Gladiator showroom
MORE: Jeep Gladiator: V8 and plug-in hybrid unlikely for Australia
