LOS ANGELES—American SUV brand Jeep’s new all-electric Recon SUV will start at $65,000, the company announced during the vehicle’s official unveiling on Tuesday.
The 2026 Jeep Recon has been years in the making, with the electric vehicle idea first revealed in 2021 and inspired by the brand’s iconic Wrangler off-road SUV. Production is expected to begin early next year at a factory in Mexico.
Unveiled Tuesday ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show, the Recon has the familiar boxy Jeep styling, as well as removable doors, a rear spare tire and an open-air roof, all of which are synonymous with the brand’s Wrangler SUVs.
“With Jeep Recon, we prove that electrification not only goes hand in hand with superior off-road performance, it can even enhance it, delivering instant torque, precise control and a quieter, more connected driving experience that only Jeep can deliver,” Jeep CEO Bob Broderdorf said in a release.
The Recon is part of Jeep’s ongoing turnaround plan, which comes after years of poor sales and the cancellation of several Jeep SUVs for the U.S. in an effort to boost profits.
The EV is the last of four new or updated products that Jeep has promised to introduce within the next four months. The first three were the new Jeep Cherokee Hybrid and redesigned versions of the Jeep Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer.
“We’re going to do a 4×4, four cars in four months. The Recon is the last car to do that. This completes the storyline,” Broderdorf said on a media conference call, referring to the brand’s plans to launch a number of special edition cars next year.
The Recon’s electric motor produces 650 horsepower and 620 foot-pounds of torque, similar to some V-6 and V-8 sports cars. But that power comes at a price, with a range of up to 250 miles on a single charge, which is lower than many of today’s cheaper EVs.
The Recon’s price is about a $14,000 premium over the entry-level 2025 Wrangler plug-in hybrid electric vehicle and nearly $27,000 over the base 2026 Wrangler four-door model. It costs the same as the $65,200 Wagoneer S EV and has a range of 494 miles.
Recon comes as a Jeep thing Stellantis The parent company has significantly reduced its investment in EVs due to changing market conditions and a CEO change over the past year. In the broader market, EV sales have plummeted after the federal government’s up to $7,500 incentive for purchasing plug-in electric vehicles ended in September.
Broderdorf said the end of federal incentives is expected to impact sales across the industry, including Recon, but the new SUV will serve as an EV “bookend” in the Jeep brand’s electric portfolio alongside the sportier Wagoneer S.
“I’m not just chasing volume,” he said on a media conference call. “I want to sell cars the right way. I want to make sure that everyone who wants[a battery electric vehicle]Recon, we are there for them. After that, it doesn’t really matter to me.”
The Recon is built at Stellantis’ Toluca assembly plant in Mexico, along with the Wagoneer S, Jeep Compass, and the new Jeep Cherokee, which is offered only as a hybrid.
Broderdorf, who began leading the brand in February, said the factory could easily be adjusted to produce larger quantities of the Compass and Cherokee in response to EV demand. Both gas-powered vehicles will be manufactured in the United States in the coming years for added flexibility.
“We’re going to grow and grow and grow,” Broderdorf previously told CNBC. “That’s the mission. And do it in a healthy way.”
Jeep is dealing with a spiraling sales decline that began after the brand’s SUV sales hit a record high of more than 973,000 units in 2018. The brand’s U.S. sales last year have since fallen 40% to fewer than 590,000 units.
Through the third quarter of this year, Jeep’s sales increased less than 0.5% from the same period last year. Jeep’s U.S. market share has fallen from 5.4% in 2019 to 3.7% from 2024 onwards, according to Cox Automotive.
