Stellantis is going through it. From poor sales of its new electric vehicles to the usual slew of recalls repeatedly plaguing owners, times are tough. And today, our friends at The Drive broke the news that Stellantis is killing the once best-selling plug-in hybrid in America, the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, as well as its more civilized sibling, the Jeep Grand Cherokee 4xe, and Chrysler’s Pacifica PHEV for the 2026 model year.
We reached out to Stellantis for comment regarding the future of the company’s other plug-in hybrids, and a spokesperson said that Stellantis will “phase out PHEV programs in North America beginning with the 2026 model year, and focus on more competitive electrified solutions, including hybrid and range‑extended vehicles where they best meet customer needs.” That means no plug-in hybrids from any Stellantis brand in 2026. We knew the Alfa Romeo Tonale was losing its plug-in powertrain for the 2026 model year, and while the 2026 Dodge Hornet hasn’t been revealed yet, this means its R/T PHEV model will be dying, too.
Pulling the plug on PHEVs
This news comes after Jeep quietly pulled the Wrangler 4xe and Grand Cherokee 4xe pages off of its website earlier this week. The latest in the long saga of Jeep plug-in-hybrid recalls came two months ago after Jeep found they may have residual sand inside their engines from casting, which is naturally not ideal for longevity. Stellantis was sure to share that Jeep’s 4xe name is not gone forever, though, as it will be used on future range-extended electric vehicles, like the facelifted Grand Wagoneer and Ram 1500 REV.
The new 2026 Jeep Cherokee is exclusively available with a traditional hybrid powertrain that doesn’t need to be plugged in to charge, and it would make sense for other Stellantis models to start using that powertrain. And at least it seems like the underbaked Dodge Charger EV and Jeep Wagoneer S will continue production, plus Jeep’s new Recon EV just went on sale last month.
Stellantis stopping production of plug-in hybrids is a surprising move on the company’s part, especially without any public knowledge of what’s coming next. Hopefully it means the company will be able to devote more resources to upcoming models that buyers will actually want.
