Ralph Gilles wrote on Instagram that the new Jeep Compass will be shown off when a press embargo ends on May 6. The vehicle, based on STLA Medium, will be made in Europe and exported to the United States at first; it was to be made at Brampton, in Ontario, once that plant is finished, but detailed plans are reputed to be up in the air given the tariff situation. Stellantis is unlikely to close Brampton, but may alter its manufacturing setup of 25% import duties based on assembly (rather than parts content) are made permanent.
Gilles also posted an image of the North Face Avenger 4xe, which went into production recently.
This brings up a little more on the Avenger and Compass strategy. The Avenger, being a subcompact, was not intended for sale in the United States. Still, one market research expert and longtime Jeep owner/offroader at Allpar noted that the styling looked fairly close to how Abarth Fiats are often decorated. It’s a rather un-Jeep display, and that expert would have chosen the most off-road-capable version as their “hero car” for the launch.
What appears to be a tow hook is visible in the air intake under the faux grille, near one of the yellow-painted bars above (painted yellow) and near one of the green bars below (painted body-color blue).
This snap shows an Avenger that’s been mudding, followed by a Wrangler which appears to have simply been driven behind it—there’s no visible mud on the Wrangler’s tires. A good deal of mud is stuck in the front air dam—the market researcher noted that it “took quite a bit of digging to get that much mud in there. This is what on-road styling pieces end up doing on the trails.”
Likewise, this poorly lit photo (cropped and still not really showing the actual vehicle) was odd for a marque centered around “Fun, Freedom, and Adventure.”
Finally, we have what appears to be an Avenger Trailhawk or equivalent. The 4xe generally has 10mm more ground clearance than the EV version, for 210 mm or 8.3 inches of ground clearance.
If Jeep intends to keep “American” as part of the brand, releasing in the United States (and having design work led by the United States) would have made more sense than a European release of a vehicle styled in Europe, regardless of how many little American flag decals are used.
Ralph Gilles noted that the Compass was important in Europe, and it is, but it is also key for Jeep around the entire world; in the United States it could be a volume leader, and it’s in a prime position for the Asia-Pacific region. Avenger 4xe specs.
Note: Despite the timing, this is not an “April Fools” story.
David Zatz started what was to become the world’s biggest, most comprehensive Mopar site in 1994 as he pursued a career in organizational research and change. After a chemo-induced break, during which he wrote car books covering Vipers, minivans, and Jeeps, he returned with Patrick Rall to create StellPower.com for daily news, and to set up MoTales for mo’ tales.
David Zatz has around 30 years of experience in covering Chrysler/Mopar news and history, and most recently wrote Century of Chrysler, a 100-year retrospective on the Chrysler marque.
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