The Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X small crossovers will not return for the 2024 model year, Stellantis confirmed.
Stellantis stated, "In the U.S. and Canada, the Jeep Renegade will reach the end of its lifecycle after the 2023 model year as the brand focuses its resources on SUV segments in North America that continue to grow." The Renegade will still be sold in markets outside North America.
The discontinuation of the related models comes earlier than expected as Stellantis retools its Melfi Assembly Plant in southern Italy for five electric vehicles as well as a new Jeep Compass expected for the 2025 model year. The Compass compact crossover will be made with electric and hybrid powertrains, Reuters reported in October.
The Renegade was expected to end production in 2025 and was planned to be succeeded by an electric model, but it appears Jeep has accelerated its transformation to an electrified lineup.
Stellantis said in a statement, "The Jeep brand’s entire North American lineup will offer an electrified variant by 2025." The Wagoneer S and Jeep Recon battery electric SUVs will be launched next year.
The discontinuation also marks the end of the least expensive entry point into the Jeep brand. The 2023 Jeep Renegade Latitude costs $29,445, including a $1,595 destination fee. It's not cheap for a small crossover class that includes competitors such as the Subaru Crosstrek ($26,220) and Mazda CX-30 ($26,370). Like those models, all-wheel drive is standard on the Renegade, and it uses a 177-hp 1.3-liter turbo-4 with a 9-speed automatic.
Standard features include automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitors, and lane-departure warnings, but most rivals offer active lane control and adaptive cruise control as standard on their entry-level crossovers. Standard convenience features include an 8.4-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility.
A 10% discount through the end of the year sweetens the pot for the Renegade, but Jeep priced it out of the market and has whittled down the lineup in recent years in preparation for the end. Last year, Jeep discontinued the entry-level Sport grade. Sales of the Renegade peaked in 2016 right after it launched on the market in 2015.
Earlier this year, Jeep discontinued the Cherokee midsize crossover, and shuttered its Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois in February. In November, in response to the UAW strike, Stellantis announced it would invest $4.8 billion in the plant to produce a new pickup truck and build a nearby EV battery plant.
The Jeep Compass is now the entry point for the brand at $29,995. Refreshed in 2023, it will likely carry on for a few more years until its electrified successor arrives.
The discontinuation of the Fiat 500X is less surprising. After much bombast following the Fiat Chrysler merger, Fiat returned to the U.S. in 2011. Its roadster, sport coupe, and small city cars didn't take hold here, and after several years of shedding models from the lineup, the 500X small crossover was the last Fiat standing until this morning's announcement of the return of the 2024 500e electric minicar. With just 149 miles of range and a starting price of more than $34,000, the 500e is expected to sell in very low volume.
The Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X join nearly 20 other models that were discontinued for the 2024 model year.
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Recently, Fiat's parent company Stellantis released a statement that it will suspend production of the Fiat 500e for a month from September 13 due to falling sales. In addition, a hybrid version of the Fiat 500 will be launched in 2026, named Fiat 500 Ibrida, which will be produced at the Mirafiori plant in Italy.
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