- Stellantis and Dongfeng will build two Jeep and two Peugeot models.
- Jeep’s China sales have cratered by more than 90 percent in recent years.
- The Wrangler, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee are the only models sold in China.
More details have emerged about the new models that Jeep will build in China through its local partnership with Dongfeng Motor Group. Under the deal, Jeep will develop two electrified models leveraging Dongfeng technology and sell them not only in China, but also export them internationally.
Stellantis inked a new agreement with Dongfeng back in May, signaling Jeep’s return to building cars in China after a four-year break. Crucially, this will be the first time that Jeep exports vehicles sold in China overseas.
Read: Jeep’s Next EV Could Be Made In China Instead Of Ohio After Stellantis Deal
Stellantis chief executive Antonio Filosa revealed earlier this week that the newly established $1.2 billion Dongfeng Stellantis Automotive Technology company will develop the two Jeep models at its Wuhan facility, starting next year. Both plug-in hybrid and battery-electric versions of the new Jeeps will be developed.
According to Auto News, Dongfeng Stellantis Automotive Technology will develop and market the new models while the long-standing Dongfeng Peugeot-Citroen (DPCA) joint venture will handle production. Dongfeng has said it will provide its core electrification and intelligent vehicle technologies to the partnership. In addition to a pair of Jeeps being built in China, two plug-in hybrid and electric Peugeots will also be built locally.
Like so many other Western brands, Jeep sales in China have collapsed in recent years. Following a peak in 2017, when 203,000 examples of the Cherokee, Compass, Renegade, and Grand Commander were sold in China, fewer than 20,000 were sold in 2022, prompting Stellantis to terminate its joint venture with GAC, which had handled local production of these models since 2014.
The only Jeep models currently sold in China are the Wrangler, Gladiator, and Grand Cherokee.
Neither Jeep nor Dongfeng has provided details about which overseas markets will receive the Chinese-built Jeep models. Still, it’s reasonable to assume other Asian nations will be among them, and Europe might be, too.
