Jeep Gladiator 4xe Is Still Happening, Just Not Yet

Speaking to media before the reveal of the 2024 Jeep Gladiator at this year's North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit, Jeep brand boss Jim Morrison confirmed that while it was not revealed as part of the 2024 update, the plug-in hybrid Gladiator 4xe pickup truck is still in the works.

In response to a question from a member of the media, Morrison answered simply with, "Stay tuned." He added that Jeep has been "very public that by 2025 we will electrify the whole range, so by deduction, it's coming."

While the Gladiator is a pretty niche product in the world of American pickup trucks, a plug-in hybrid variant stands to be very successful, and the abundance of torque will be a perfect replacement for the diesel Gladiator, which will soon be discontinued.

The Jeep Wrangler 4xe has been a home run for the brand, becoming the best-selling plug-in hybrid vehicle in America year after year since its introduction. But the Gladiator 4xe could be more than just a straight transplant of the Wrangler 4xe's powertrain into a pickup-shaped body.

For reference, the Wrangler 4xe is powered by a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four producing 270 horsepower and 295 lb-ft of torque, supplemented by the eTorque starter-generator motor adding an extra 44 hp and 39 lb-ft and a 134-hp/181-lb-ft motor sandwiched between the four-pot and the eight-speed automatic gearbox. Total outputs are 375 hp and 470 lb-ft.

While the Gladiator looks like the Wrangler, its underpinnings are a mashup of two vehicles. From the C-pillar forward, it's Wrangler, but behind this, it has the rear of the Ram 1500. As a pickup truck, even a lifestyle-oriented one, it also has slightly different requirements to a standard rock crawler, and the Wrangler 4xe's 3,500-pound towing capacity may be insufficient for a midsize pickup like the Gladiator.

Instead, the Gladiator 4xe may borrow from the Ram 1500. While the Ram doesn't yet have a plug-in hybrid variant, it can be specced with the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 with eTorque hybrid assistance for a 12 hp and 90 lb-ft boost to its standard 305 hp/271 lb-ft. This powertrain may be combined with the Wrangler 4xe's transmission e-motor.

Alternatively, Stellantis may be working on a new truck-specific hybrid powertrain to rival the hybrid Ford F-150, which has been updated for the 2024 model year. Rumors have swirled for some time that the Gladiator would inherit the Tornado inline-six, and maybe this could be hybridized, too.

While the Wrangler 4xe is more than fit for purpose, Stellantis knows better than to launch a truck that won't meet the needs of its buyers, which is one of the reasons it's 'late' to the electric pickup truck party with the Ram 1500 REV.