$13 Billion Stellantis Investment Will Bring New Dodge Durango

Stellantis announced sweeping investments in U.S. production, including plans to build the new Jeep Cherokee and Compass in Belvidere,

• Stellantis announced a $13 billion investment in production facilities in the United States over the next four years.
• The plan includes reopening the Belvidere plant to build the Jeep Compass and Jeep Cherokee, while production of the upcoming Ram mid-size truck shifts to Toledo, Ohio.
• A next-generation Dodge Durango is also set to arrive by 2029 and will be built in Detroit; a new large SUV is due in 2028 at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant.

Stellantis has been going through a rough patch. CEO Carlos Tavares’s shock resignation in December 2024 followed nine months of sliding sales, and many brands in the Stellantis stable have resorted to selling just a few aging and uncompetitive models. But the

Andi Hedrick|Car and Driver

automaker aims to turn things around, yesterday announcing a plan to invest $13 billion over the next four years into production in the United States that will bring five new vehicles.Stellantis

After a brief hiatus, Jeep revived the Cherokee nameplate to fill the crucial gap between the Compass and Grand Cherokee, revealing the hybrid SUV in August. Stellantis now says it will invest over $600 million into the Belvidere Assembly Plant in Illinois to support expanded production of both the new Cherokee and the Compass. The Belvidere facility has been idle since February 2023, when production of the previous-generation Cherokee came to a close. Initial production of the new Cherokee will take place in Toluca, Mexico, before the Belvidere plant comes back online in 2027, creating around 3300 new jobs.

Earlier this year, Stellantis said Belvidere would become the home for a new Ram mid-sized truck, but the automaker is now shifting production of that pickup to the Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio as part of a nearly $400 million investment. The truck—which represents the first mid-size offering from the Ram or Dodge brands since the Dakota was discontinued in 2011—will be built alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator and should launch in 2028. The new shift will add over 900 jobs, and Toledo will receive further investment for “additional technologies and strong product actions” for both Jeep models.Illustration by Avarvarii|Car and Driver

Meanwhile, in Michigan, Stellantis will inject nearly $100 million into the Warren Truck Assembly Plant for retooling to build a new large SUV featuring both internal-combustion and range-extender plug-in hybrid powertrains. The Warren facility currently builds the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer (set to merge into simply the Grand Wagoneer for 2026), and it’s unclear what name this new SUV, due in 2028, will carry. Jeep said yesterday during the reveal of the 2026 Grand Wagoneer that the full-size SUV will gain a range-extender PHEV setup next year, so it appears this SUV may be a different product altogether. Stellantis says this investment will bring 900 jobs to the Warren plant.

The Detroit Assembly Complex–Jefferson is also getting a boost with a $130 million investment that will lead to the production of the next-generation Dodge Durango, which Stellantis aims to launch in 2029. Stellantis is also starting production in 2026 of a new four-cylinder engine, called the GMET4 EVO, at its facilities in Kokomo, Indiana, investing over $100 million and creating over 100 jobs.

Curiously missing from these announcements are any updates on the Jeep Recon or the Chrysler brand. The Recon, a boxy, off-road-focused EV, was first shown way back in 2022, when Jeep said production would start in 2024. Since then, Jeep has reportedly considered adding a combustion engine to the Recon and released more images of the Recon in early 2025, announcing that sales will start before the end of this year. But while prototypes have been spied testing, there have been no further details on the Recon’s arrival.

Chrysler, which has been reduced to selling just minivans, was set to launch a new electric SUV, with the company stating in 2024 that it would debut in 2025. CEO Chris Feuell reaffirmed those plans earlier this year, stating that the SUV would follow the design direction seen on the 2024 Halcyon concept, rather than being a production version of the 2022 Airflow concept. But rumors earlier this year suggested that the electric SUV’s development had stalled out.

With no mention of either the Recon or the Chrysler electric SUV, it leaves us wondering if those products will ever see the light of day as the transition to EVs faces an uphill battle in the U.S. Nevertheless, Stellantis says this is the largest investment in the company’s U.S. history, and the new models will also be joined by 19 refreshed products and updated powertrains coming by the end of 2029.

2026 Jeep Recon Is an EV Wrangler Sibling Worth Waiting For

The Jeep Recon serves as an EV counterpart to the popular Wrangler off-roader, with all-wheel drive and removable doors.
By Eric StaffordPublished: Jan 21, 2025Save Article

Jeep

What It Is

The Jeep Wrangler has offered a partially electric model for several years now with the plug-in-hybrid 4xe. However, it will soon be joined by an all-electric alternative. Enter the Jeep Recon. Like the Wrangler, the Recon will feature removable doors and a rear-mounted spare tire. The EV will also be capable of crawling over rocks and treacherous terrain thanks to all-wheel drive, knobby all-terrain tires, and plenty of ground clearance.

Why It Matters

The recently released Jeep Wagoneer S is the only EV the brand currently sells in the United States, and it’s more Grand Cherokee than Wrangler. When the Recon finally goes on sale, it’ll give customers an EV that’s truly capable off-road. It’ll also help the company play catch-up with competitors who are already stealing market share from a niche that Jeep practically created.

Platform

As with the Wagoneer S, the Recon will be an electric mid-size SUV that’s built on Stellantis’s modular STLA Large platform. The platform supports either 400- or 800-volt electrical architectures, though Jeep hasn’t said which one will underpin the Recon. We know that it’ll trade the Wrangler’s dependable solid axles for a more sophisticated fully independent suspension, possibly with an adjustable ride height.KGP Photography

Powertrain

Details about the Recon’s powertrain are cloudy with a chance of powerful electric motors. The Wagoneer S will launch with a 600-hp dual-motor setup that provides all-wheel drive. Naturally, that same powertrain could make its way into the Recon. Exact power figures aside, four-wheel traction will surely be standard, and Jeep has confirmed that the Recon will have electronic locking differentials.

Competition

The Recon will compete against other EV off-roaders like the GMC Hummer EV SUV, the Scout Traveler, and the Rivian R1S.

What Might Go Wrong

Stellantis—an automotive conglomerate that includes brands like Dodge, Fiat, Jeep, Maserati, and Ram—didn’t do so hot in 2024. Along with financial woes amid struggling global sales, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares abruptly resigned in December. Stellantis has also been slow to get eagerly anticipated new models such as the Dodge Charger Daytona EV and Ram 1500 REV into production, and now it appears to be prioritizing the timeline of gas-powered and plug-in-hybrid variants over EVs. As a result, the Recon’s debut on dealer lots could take longer than expected. Plus, it remains to be seen how Jeep customers will receive an off-roader that can’t be revived by a jerrycan of gasoline.

Estimated Arrival and Price

We’re still waiting for Jeep to officially reveal the Recon EV. That’s expected to happen sometime this year, and if everything goes according to plan, the first examples should go on sale before the calendar hits 2026. While we think the Recon will have a starting price of around $60K, it’s possible that a fully loaded Launch Edition could kick things off and be priced in the $70K neighborhood.

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Subaru Teases Two New STI Concepts, Including the First EV Model

We’ve suffered from a lack of new STI cars in our diet, but thankfully, Subaru will debut two concepts at the Tokyo auto show later this month.By Eric StaffordPublished: Oct 15, 2025Save Article

Subaru

• Subaru is set to debut two new STI concept cars at the Tokyo auto show later this month.
• One of the cars is billed as the Performance-E STI, making it the brand’s first electric STI model.
• The other car is called the Performance-B STI, and it features a traditional gas engine under the hood.

For those of us who like to have some fun behind the wheel, it’s been a bummer that Subaru hasn’t sold a performance-focused STI variant in America since the 2021 model year. While we can’t yet say for sure that the storied moniker will be returning to our streets, it’s a good sign that Subaru plans to reveal two new STI concepts at the Tokyo auto show later this month.

The automaker today released a pair of teaser photos that provide a glimpse of these concepts, one of which will be the first electric STI model. Called the Performance-E STI, Subaru says it previews the future of the performance brand. Based on the teaser photo, we can see a pointy nose that flows into a sharply creased front fender, complete with an angular headlight that has distinctive hash marks as part of its lighting signature. It also looks like there’s a very short front overhang, as the front wheels appear to be very close to the bumper.Subaru

Performance-E STI concept.

Additionally, Subaru says the Performance-E STI will have a spacious interior, which has us wondering whether it might signal the return of a hatchback body style. The other primary details are what we’d expect from a sporty Subie: driver-friendly layout, the promise of an exhilarating driving experience, and a heritage-inspired design.

The Performance-B STI concept looks a lot like the existing WRX, which suggests a new model could return to production in the near future. Subaru says this car features a traditional gas-powered engine, specifically one that’s horizontally opposed. All-wheel drive is also part of the mix. But other than that, we can only go by what we see in the teaser photo. Along with a prominent scoop and possibly a heat extractor on the hood, there’s red trim around the grille, and the front fenders appear to have ditched the current WRX’s cladding for a bulky flare.Subaru

Performance-B STI concept.

The STI concepts won’t be the only thing that Subaru plans to show off at the Tokyo auto show, but they’re definitely the most exciting. The event will also mark the Japanese debut of the new Trailseeker EV SUV, and the Wilderness-spec Forester and Outback models will also be featured at the Subaru exhibit. Oh, and Travis Pastrana’s Family Huckster will be there too.