The FCA factory in Melfi in Italy has started the preparatory activities for the production of the Jeep Renegade Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV, plug-in electric hybrid vehicle), whose launch on the market is foreseen in the first part of the 2020. The Renegade PHEV will be produced in Melfi together with the Renegade and the 500X with an internal combustion engine already in production at the plant.
The pre-series vehicles of the new Jeep Renegade PHEV are planned for the 2019. The investment dedicated to the launch of the new engine is equal to over 200 million euros and includes a strong commitment by FCA to train all employees on the application of this new technology. The plant facilities involved in the production will be modernized accordingly.
"The over 742.000 Renegade produced in Italy since its launch to date make the Melfi plant the ideal place and Renegade the perfect product for the launch of the PHEV version that will further strengthen the offer of this vehicle that has already met with great success," said Pietro Gorlier, Chief Operating Officer of EMEA Region.
The 1 last June, during the Capital Markets Day, FCA presented the 2018-2022 Business Plan to the financial community and one of the key messages was that electrification is one of the most important change factors foreseen by the strategic plan. The planned investments over the period of the plan will lead to a portfolio of technological solutions that will allow FCA to comply with regulatory obligations in the various markets. At the same time, the technology will also be applied in order to further strengthen the specific strengths of each brand.
The Renegade PHEV is the next step towards the electrification of the FCA product portfolio, which follows the launch of the Chrysler Pacifica Minivan PHEV and the e-Torque mild-hybrid technology launched on the 1500 Ram at the beginning of 2018. Within the 2022, FCA will offer a total of 12 electric propulsion systems (BEV, PHEV, full-hybrid and mild-hybrid) in global architectures, with 30 different models that will mount one or more such systems.