DETROIT – Stellantis’ U.S. brands continue to shake off the restraints of the automaker’s previous strategy by mounting a power push.
Jeep is no exception. The off-road-oriented brand says its customers want power, and it’s ready to deliver it, via a forthcoming proliferation of its automaker’s legendary Hemi V-8 engine into more models than it currently is installed.
Jeep plans to extend the availability of the 6.4L Hemi V-8 on the Wrangler, Bob Broderdorf, Jeep brand CEO, tells media here at a Stellantis event, while hinting at future utilizations in other Jeeps, potentially the Gladiator.
The engine already is available in the Wrangler Rubicon 392 (392 refers to the 6.4L’s engine’s displacement in cubic inches), as well as Jeep’s Grand Cherokee SRT midsize SUV. In the former model, the Hemi makes 470 hp at 6,000 rpm and 470 lb.-ft. (637 Nm) of torque at 4,300 rpm.
“People want choice…they want powerful engines,” Broderdorf says in a media Q&A session. “Our powertrains are the heart and soul of our cars,” adding a single powertrain type in a model “isn’t going to cut it” with the brand’s consumers.
That’s a reference to decisions made by previous Stellantis leadership under CEO Carlos Tavares. His team’s strong focus on raising prices and prioritizing electrification, spurred by then-stiffening fuel-economy and emissions regulations in the U.S. during the Biden Admin., had the side effect of seeing sales fall and select internal-combustion engines from various models discontinued. This was most famously seen with Stellantis’ Ram 1500 pickup truck, which lost its Hemi engine for the 2025 model year. Ram announced in June the Hemi was returning to the Ram 1500 for 2026, and now Jeep appears ready to extend the iconic engine’s reach.
“The No.1 thing I want our customers to know is, (Hemi’s) not going away,” Broderdorf tells media on the sidelines of the event.
However, to a question of whether the current relaxed environment for fuel-economy and emissions regulations under the Trump Admin. is driving a return to more powerful ICEs, the Jeep CEO says, “We have to think global when we think about Jeep,” alluding to still-stringent emissions rules in other parts of the world necessitating keeping smaller ICEs and electrified propulsion in the Jeep lineup.
Refreshes and New Models on Tap
Meanwhile, Jeep has a healthy launch slate coming up. The 2026 Wrangler will have “more personal (and) customizable” versions, with new colors and new features with engine variants, including the aforementioned Hemi.
“Why can’t you get a Wrangler with matching body-color fender flares in Mojito Green?” Broderdorf asks rhetorically.
Additionally, Jeep puts a launch date of November on its all-new Recon model, Jeep’s first “trail-rated” battery-electric vehicle. Jeep already has plug-in hybrid variants in the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee 4xe models, and this year began retailing its first BEV, the Wagoneer S.
The Recon will be offered globally by Jeep, capping off seven vehicles the brand is launching in seven months including the Compass in Europe, Commander in the Middle East, Avenger in South America and four North American models.
New North American models include a refreshed Grand Wagoneer for 2026, with more power, new tech and style and more value, and an updated Grand Cherokee with powertrain changes, new styling and more value, Broderdorf says.
Lastly, Jeep is sent to launch a new Cherokee in late 2025, after taking a 3-year hiatus with the nameplate, with details of the 2026 Cherokee yet to come.
Jeep U.S. sales, which in 2024 fell 9% from 2023, are doing slightly better in 2025. Stellantis in July reported first-half deliveries for the brand rose 2% year-on-year thanks to positive sales volume for Wrangler, Gladiator and Compass.
