Jeep revives Cherokee hybrid
At the New York Auto Show Jeep reintroduced the 2026 Cherokee as a hybrid with a starting price of $36,995 and highlighted the all‑electric Recon with 650 hp priced around $65,000. (theweeklydriver.com) The show’s broader price range ran from a $27,600 Chevy Bolt to a $2.83 million Zenvo hypercar. (theweeklydriver.com)
Jeep used the New York International Auto Show to put its midsize Cherokee back in the lineup, this time with hybrid power and a starting price of $36,995. (jeep.com) Jeep says the 2026 Cherokee comes standard with a 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid system, all-wheel drive, an estimated 37 miles per gallon combined, and more than 500 miles of total range. Stellantis, Jeep’s parent company, first detailed the model in an August 21, 2025 press kit and said it would start “well under $40,000.” (media.stellantisnorthamerica.com) The Cherokee fills a gap Jeep left when it ended the previous generation and was left with the smaller Compass below and the larger Grand Cherokee above. Edmunds said the new model is larger than before and returns with standard hybrid power rather than a conventional gasoline base engine. (edmunds.com) Jeep paired that relaunch with the all-electric Recon, a separate sport utility vehicle that the brand says will start at $65,000 and deliver 650 horsepower, 620 pound-feet of torque, and up to 250 miles of range. Jeep says production begins in early 2026 and markets the Recon as its only fully electric Trail Rated sport utility vehicle. (jeep.com) The two vehicles show Jeep trying to cover both sides of the market at once: a hybrid family sport utility vehicle priced in the high $30,000s and a battery-electric off-roader priced below $70,000. At the show, Jeep’s display described that mix as part of a lineup that ties its off-road image to newer powertrains and driver-assistance features. (autoshowny.com) That strategy lands in a show with a wide pricing spread. The 2026 New York International Auto Show ran April 3 through April 12, 2026, and outside Jeep’s stand, coverage of the event ranged from discussion of the low-cost Chevrolet Bolt to the $2.83 million Zenvo Aurora hypercar. (autoshowny.com; insideevs.com; motor1.com) For Jeep, the immediate next step is simpler than the show-floor spectacle: get the Cherokee back into dealerships after its hiatus, and get the Recon into production on schedule. Jeep’s consumer pages already list both 2026 models as available to shop or coming in early 2026. (jeep.com; jeep.com)
