Jeep unveils the all-electric Wrangler concept SUV

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Jeep has unveiled a new all-electric version of its iconic Wrangler SUV, but consumers will likely have to wait at least a few years to buy one.

The brand debuted Monday with the Wrangler “Magneto” as a concept vehicle, meaning it is a custom product typically built by car manufacturers to gauge customer interest or show the future direction of a vehicle or make.

“It’s a durable, low-profile, rock-climbing force,” Jim Morrison, vice president of the Jeep brand in North America, said at a media event. “It is an emission-free concept car with Jeep 4×4 capability taken to the next level.”

Jeep executives have said every Jeep will offer some form of electrification in the future, but it hasn’t confirmed a full-electric version of the Wrangler. The company recently began selling a plug-in hybrid electric version of the Wrangler under a new “4xe” name, a play on the brand’s off-road reputation combined with electrification. Plug-in hybrid electric models have batteries like EVs, but still have a traditional internal combustion engine.

The Jeep Wrangler Magneto concept is based on a 2020 two-door Jeep Wrangler Rubicon. To make it an electric car, engineers replaced the combustion engine and some auxiliary parts with electrical components such as four batteries and an e-motor.

The vehicle is capable of 273 foot-pounds of torque and 285 horsepower. The Magneto runs from 0-60mph in 6.8 seconds. The company has not released the vehicle’s electric range.

The most unique thing about the Magneto is that it has a six-speed manual transmission, which electric vehicles don’t need because of their engines. Mark Allen, head of Jeep Design, said the vehicle has “the best features” of an automatic transmission, but the “direct-drive feel” of a manual transmission, which is a major asset for off-road enthusiasts.

The Magneto was unveiled along with several other custom or concept vehicles for the Jeep Easter Safari, an annual off-road event for the brand in Moab, Utah. Jeep regularly uses the off-road event as a testing ground for the capabilities of its vehicles and as a way to gauge customer interest in new products.

“The Moab Easter Jeep Safari has been a great tradition for over half a century,” said Morrison. “It’s a place where we connect with our most seasoned off-road enthusiasts and those most loyal to our brand.”