1:23 PM PDT · September 22, 2025
One year past Stellantis’s announcement of the electrified 4xe plug-in hybrid Jeep Gladiator set to debut in North America by the end of 2025, the plans have drastically changed.
In a recent statement to TechCrunch, Stellantis revealed that they would be discontinuing the electrified Gladiator’s development. The decision was primarily influenced by shifting customer preferences.
“The Jeep Gladiator maintains its rugged aesthetics and authentic design into 2026, now featuring even more new attributes straight from the factory,” the company stated. “It will remain the only open-air pickup available, merging trusted Jeep 4×4 capabilities with exceptional everyday usability. As consumers’ preferences for battery-electric trucks evolve, Stellantis is revisiting its product approach and will no longer offer an electrified variant for the Gladiator. To support the Gladiator’s long-term growth, we’ve initiated funding reallocations to introduce more factory-requested features, customization options, and diverse powertrains shortly,” the statement continued.
The Gladiator isn’t the only ambitious electrified vehicle project to be scrapped recently. Just last week, Stellantis announced that its plans for a battery-electric full-size pickup under the Ram brand were also terminated, part of the automaker’s larger U.S. strategy to launch over 25 all-new battery electric vehicles by 2030.
The primary reason cited was insufficient demand for full-size electric trucks. Instead, the automaker intends to focus on extending the range of its trucks, promising an estimated 690 miles per charge using a unique approach that integrates a battery with a gas generator.
Stellantis is not alone in scaling back ambitious electric vehicle plans. Several other prominent auto manufacturers, like Ford, GM, Mercedes, and the Volkswagen Group, pledged hefty investments in EVs but have recently shifted their strategies. Recently observed trends include lower-than-anticipated demand, market saturation in high-end EVs, and the impending end of the U.S. federal EV tax credit, prompting these companies to reconsider their approaches.
Some automakers are reallocating resources toward more affordable EVs that appeal to a broader market segment, despite those models typically generating lower profit margins.
In response to this market shift, newcomer Slate is innovating with a minimalist electric pickup projected to retail for under $30,000. Similarly, Ford has postponed the launch of two upcoming electric vehicles, including a full-size electric truck, to prioritize the development of smaller, more affordable models. Moreover, in August, Ford disclosed a $2 billion investment aimed at transforming its Louisville Assembly Plant into a manufacturing facility dedicated to a new generation of budget-friendly EVs, commencing with a mid-sized pickup truck priced at around $30,000, set to launch in 2027.
Kirsten Korosec is a seasoned reporter and editor specializing in transportation, covering topics from electric vehicles and autonomous technology to urban mobility solutions and in-car innovations for over ten years. Currently, she serves as the transportation editor at TechCrunch and co-hosts TechCrunch’s Equity podcast. Additionally, she is a co-founder and co-host of “The Autonocast.” Her previous work includes contributions to Fortune, The Verge, Bloomberg, MIT Technology Review, and CBS Interactive.
For inquiries or outreach verification, Kirsten can be contacted via email at kirsten.korosec@techcrunch.com or through an encrypted message on Signal at kkorosec.07.
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