The Jeep Wrangler 4xe Was America’s Best-Selling Plug-In Hybrid in 2022
Whether because of a supply-constrained year or a sea change, electrified Jeeps were more popular in 2022.
Jeep’s newest bestseller is quiet in more ways than one. This month, parent-company Stellantis reported Jeep’s annual sales in the U.S. slid in 2022 by 12% compared to 2021 but noted that roughly 1 in 4 Jeep Wranglers sold last year was a plug-in hybrid, Wrangler 4xe. That amounted to more than 43,000 Wrangler 4xe models sold in 2022, which was up 46% compared to 2021.
“We saw strong demand for our PHEV offerings in the face of industry market conditions that carried across 2021 into 2022, including production constraints and a disruption of parts and materials in general, which adversely affected our overall sales,” said Stellantis U.S. sales chief Jeff Kommor.
The Jeep Wrangler 4xe was introduced in 2020 for the 2021 model year and pairs a turbocharged four-cylinder engine with two electric motors—one engine-mounted motor and another transmission-mounted motor—powered by a 17-kWh lithium-ion battery pack to make 375 combined horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque. The EPA rates the 4xe’s all-electric driving range at just 22 miles and a 20-mpg combined rating. It’s the least-efficient non-luxury plug-in hybrid but that didn’t stop buyers from picking it more often than any other PHEV on sale from any other automaker.
The 2023 Jeep Wrangler 4xe will qualify for the revised EV tax credit, passed last year as part of the Inflation Reduction Act, although it’s unclear if battery-sourcing requirements will reduce the incentive past March. For now, the 2023 Jeep Wrangler qualifies for up to $7,500 back from the feds (plus any applicable state incentive), thanks to its $56,530 starting price, including mandatory destination fees.
Jeep also said that its Grand Cherokee 4xe, which was new for 2022 and also qualifies for the revised tax credit in 2023, sold 5,813 examples last year, which was more than 1 in 10 Grand Cherokees sold last year.
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