(December 5, 2023) Jeep will stop selling one of its most affordable brands — the Renegade subcompact  — in the U.S. and Canada after the 2023 model year, a spokesperson for the brand told Automotive News on Monday. The Renegade, which starts at $29,445 including shipping, sits just below the Compass as the brand's most affordable option. The Compass, which begins at $29,995, will become Jeep's entry-level nameplate instead.

The Renegade launched in the U.S. in 2015 and had its best year in 2016, when it logged 106,606 sales. Sales have declined every year since then, dropping to just 27,549 in 2022, and are down 35 percent more this year through September.

It will leave the U.S. and Canada "as the brand focuses its resources on SUV segments in North America that continue to grow the spokesperson told Automotive News. The Renegade is built in Italy on the same platform used for the Fiat 500X. Renegade sales will continue in other markets such as Mexico, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific, "where the Jeep Renegade is core to our business," the brand said.

The Renegade's U.S. exit follows the departure of the Cherokee, which was built at the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois until it was idled in February. Jeep parent Stellantis agreed in its new UAW contract to reopen the plant for midsize pickup production starting in 2027.

Jeep will begin to replenish its portfolio with EV offerings in 2024, when the Wagoneer S and the Wrangler-inspired Recon are scheduled to arrive. The brand plans to offer electrified variants of everything in its North American lineup by 2025.

Source: Automotive News