Jeep’s Comeback from Sliding Sales Includes New Jeep Recon, a Wrangler-Inspired, All-Electric SUV

Jeep is pushing for a rebound after years of sliding sales and shifting leadership. The iconic SUV brand has logged six consecutive years of U.S. sales declines, weighed down by a lack of fresh models and a pivot into luxury that failed to connect with buyers. This week, Jeep unveils the Jeep Recon, a Wrangler-inspired, all-electric SUV and its fourth new product launch in four months.

Jeep and its parent company, Stellantis, are leaning hard into the idea of an American comeback. The message runs from the C-suite to a new marketing push with LL Cool J.

“This isn’t just a comeback. This is the Jeep brand reclaiming a segment we invented and defined,” CEO Bob Broderdorf said during a recent media event.

Despite its century-long off-road reputation, the brand has stumbled in the 2020s. Sales fell for six straight years as Jeep cycled through leaders, struggled with quality, and tried to elevate prices well above the mainstream market. Now, after realigning pricing, boosting quarterly sales, and launching its largest product blitz of the decade, Jeep says it’s back on a growth path.

“We’re going to grow, grow and grow,” Broderdorf told CNBC from inside a redesigned 2026 Grand Wagoneer.

The Grand Wagoneer illustrates Jeep’s missteps and its attempt at redemption. When introduced in 2021, the model topped $111,000 and entered the luxury arena with too much complexity, spotty quality, and pricing that outpaced rivals. The redesigned lineup is simpler, more affordable, and targeted squarely at large American SUVs, not Land Rover. Production issues have also eased.

“We confused our buyers. We confused our dealers,” Broderdorf said. “We got the message. We’re fixing it.” Some fixes will take longer. Jeep’s sales remain well below expectations, and quality remains a major pain point. Jeep ranked last among 32 brands in Consumer Reports’ annual scoring of road tests, safety ratings, reliability, and owner satisfaction.

The brand also recently recalled over 320,000 plug-in hybrid Wrangler and Grand Cherokee models due to fire risk. A software update to the high-voltage battery pack control module is expected in December.

Jeep’s Exciting All-Electric Recon

The all-new 2026 Jeep Recon is the first fully electric Trail Rated SUV, delivering 650 horsepower, 840 Nm of instant torque, and up to 450 km of range with 0–100 km/h acceleration as quick as 3.7 seconds. It features Jeep’s Selec-Terrain system with five drive modes and combines classic Jeep styling with modern electric performance. The Recon is the only fully electric SUV with removable doors, swing-gate glass and rear quarter glass for quick open-air driving. Inside, it offers rugged, spacious design, handcrafted materials, smart storage and more than 170 standard safety features. Production begins early next year for the U.S. and Canada, with global rollout in Q4, and the Moab trim will be exclusive to the U.S. and Canadian markets.

The timing is challenging as Jeep prepares to reveal the production version of the all-electric Recon ahead of the Los Angeles Auto Show. First shown as a concept in 2021, the Recon was once touted as a cornerstone of Jeep’s plan to capture 50% EV sales in the U.S. by 2030. But expectations have cooled after a leadership shift at Stellantis and a slowdown in EV demand. The loss of federal EV incentives in September, worth up to $7,500, has further dampened the outlook. However, EV experts such as Loren McDonald are confident the EV industry will bounce back soon.

Broderdorf acknowledged the hit the incentive change will have but described the Recon as an EV “bookend” alongside the Wagoneer S in Jeep’s expanding electric lineup. “I’m not going to chase volume just to chase volume,” he said. “I want to sell cars in the right way.”

The Recon will be built in Stellantis’ Toluca plant in Mexico alongside the Wagoneer S, Compass, and the new hybrid-only Cherokee. Broderdorf said the plant can shift quickly between models depending on EV demand, and he expects U.S. production of Compass and Cherokee in the coming years to add flexibility.

Several automakers, including Jeep, have reported steep EV sales drops since incentives ended and the current foolish administration eliminated fuel-economy fines that EVs helped offset. Jeep has released few details about the Recon other than confirming it as a sibling to the Wrangler. A smaller concept version previously promised 0-60 mph in roughly two seconds.

The Recon completes a rapid sequence of launches that began with the new Cherokee and continued with updated Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer models. Before the Wagoneer S and Recon, Jeep leaned heavily on plug-in hybrid versions of the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee rather than full battery electrics.

An American comeback?

Jeep’s revival narrative is also being pushed through a new wave of marketing led by Wendy Orthman, the brand’s new vice president of marketing and communications. Campaigns featuring LL Cool J and a raunchy ad by comedian Iliza Shlesinger lean into the comeback theme, with LL Cool J’s “Mama Said Knock You Out” anchoring ads that call Jeep “the original influencer.”

Marketing helps, analysts say, but the true test is product, especially the new Cherokee, which competes in the crowded compact and midsize SUV segments. “They’re still trying to fix things: getting the pricing right, getting the product right,” Stephanie Brinley of S&P Global Mobility told CNBC. “But there’s a lot of potential, especially with the Cherokee.”

Jeep discontinued the prior Cherokee and the Renegade under former CEO Carlos Tavares in 2023 amid profit pressure. The brand’s U.S. sales through the third quarter are up less than 0.5% year-over-year. Market share has fallen from 5.4% in 2019 to 3.7% since 2024, according to Cox Automotive. After selling more than 973,000 vehicles in 2018, Jeep’s U.S. sales have plunged 40% to under 590,000 last year.

High pricing hasn’t helped. Jeep’s average transaction prices hovered around $54,000 in 2023–24, well above the industry average of about $48,500. Pricing has since dropped to around $49,800—still a premium, but markedly lower. Meanwhile, Jeep’s inventory remains high. The brand had 146 days’ supply in October, second only to Lincoln among major brands, compared to an industry average of 88 days.

Jeep’s comeback plan began under Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa and has accelerated under Broderdorf. “It’s not like 2026 is going to be a one-million-unit year,” Brinley said. “Once you get off track, getting back on takes time. But it starts with product, and that’s what they have coming in 2026.”