Jeep Halts Next-Gen Compass to Reevaluate the Entire 'EV-First' Approach

      Stellantis has suspended all operations at its Brampton, Ontario assembly plant, where production of the next-generation Jeep Compass was expected to start next year. According to Automotive News, a source from the company revealed that Stellantis is reassessing the feasibility of producing a battery-electric Jeep Compass for the North American market.

      The Stellantis website states that the Brampton Assembly Plant is “currently undergoing retooling until 2025.” The facility has been inactive since Stellantis ceased production of the Dodge Charger and Challenger, as well as the Chrysler 300, over a year ago. The retooled site was initially scheduled to begin assembling pre-production validation vehicles in late January, but that timeline was postponed to May 2025 last fall. Currently, the timeline has essentially been extended indefinitely.

      While Stellantis confirmed to Automotive News that activities have been halted at Brampton, a spokesperson refrained from discussing future plans, only indicating that this decision wouldn't affect the company's previously stated investment strategy for the site, which strongly implies that new Compasses will eventually be produced there.

      The next-generation Compass is expected to be released in Europe in 2025, with those units being manufactured in Melfi, Italy. This plan remains unchanged.

      If Stellantis is indeed pausing the launch of Compass production due to concerns that an electric vehicle isn't suitable, it suggests that Jeep will revise the Compass's introduction schedule rather than cancel it entirely. Instead of rolling out the dedicated battery-electric model first, Jeep might launch a gasoline or hybrid-electric version initially. This approach aligns with Ram's choice to delay the long-range variant of its new all-electric pickup in favor of a range-extended hybrid. Moreover, Stellantis instructed its Chrysler division to stop developing a production version of the long-promised Airflow EV concept in January.

      Since the next-generation Compass will utilize the new STLA Medium platform, altering the launch sequence should be relatively straightforward. However, it doesn't necessarily mean the process will be quick or uncomplicated. As Dodge CEO Matt McAlear recently pointed out, even “easy” transitions can take considerable time when working with the manufacturing complexities of modern vehicles. It is reasonable to expect that the current Jeep Compass may need to remain active for at least one more season before being phased out.

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