Never Mind: Jeep Backtracks on Promise to Introduce Hybrid Gladiator
Jeep has decided not to introduce a plug-in hybrid version of the Gladiator pickup after all. Instead, it says it will focus on offering more factory features and other powertrain offerings to make the truck resonate with customers.
The automaker announced last September that it would extend the plug-in hybrid powertrain that is available in the Wrangler 4xe to the closely related Gladiator for the 2025 model year. However, since that announcement, there has been a change in leadership at Jeep.
Following the ouster of Carlos Tavares, the CEO of Jeep’s parent company Stellantis, Tim Kuniskis took over as the head of the conglomerate’s North American brands. Under his leadership there has been a shift in priorities, and Ram has already cancelled development of its all-electric 1500 and re-introduced the Hemi V8 to its pickup truck lineup.
When announcing those moves, Ram credited the decision to customer sentiment. Similarly, Jeep said that its decision not to add a plug-in hybrid powertrain to the Gladiator lineup to its focus on satisfying its customers’ desires.
“The Jeep brand has already begun reinvesting funding to ensure the long-term growth of the Jeep Gladiator and will introduce even more customer-requested factory features, customization, and additional powertrain options in the near future,” the brand wrote in a letter seen by Automotive News.
The automaker did not elaborate on what new powertrain options will be added to the Gladiator. However, a focus on customer desires will be important for the midsize pickup truck, which has failed to light up the sales charts.
Canadian sales of the Gladiator peaked at nearly 5,000 sales in 2022, but fell to just over 2,300 in 2024, and it’s a similar story in the U.S. By contrast, the automaker sold over 14,000 Wranglers in Canada in 2024.
