Is the Tiny Urban Jeep Avenger SUV a Fit for North America?

When Jeep added the small Avenger, a lifestyle crossover, to its global lineup, then-CEO of Stellantis Carlos Tavares was clear: it would not be for sale in North America. That was the word in 2022. A lot of things have changed since then. For one, Tavares has resigned as CEO. And Jeep leadership has undergone turnover. Heading Jeep for North America now is a Chrysler veteran, Bob Broderdorf, and he is intrigued by the Avenger.

See All 32 Photos32

“I will tell you flat out: I am looking at it,” he tells MotorTrend in interviews. “I think the Avenger is an incredibly interesting product. I actually love the look of that car, and what it is.” That was his reaction having only seen the Avenger in pictures—after all he has only been in the Jeep job since September. It was enough to hook him. “Man, that thing is cool. I’m trying to understand what the shortcomings might be. Why it wasn’t picked to start with,” he told MotorTrend in November. Since then, he has seen the vehicle in sheetmetal and is more enamored after seeing the NorthFace Edition and campaign.

Broderdorf says his first instinct was ‘can I sell that here?’ and the question is increasingly relevant because of a shift in consumer demand. EVs are not flying off lots the way they were projected to, and there is an appetite for lower-cost, entry-level vehicles. “I do think there is a movement to more affordable EVs here,” Broderdorf says, which would bode well for the little urban Jeep offered with an internal combustion engine or as an EV with about 250 miles of range in Europe.

See All 32 Photos32

$25,000 Jeep Renegade Successor

The Avenger is smaller than the subcompact Jeep Renegade, which is getting a successor. In May 2024, Tavares said a $25,000 electric Jeep was coming to America, but provided no further details. Later, during an earnings call, Tavares said the $25,000 SUV would be the successor to the Renegade subcompact that Jeep stopped selling in the U.S. and Canada after the 2023 model year. The Renegade successor is due in 2026 or 2027 and will be available either as a pure EV or with an internal combustion engine. Like the Avenger, it would use the STLA Small platform. It would be built in North America.

Broderdorf thinks the U.S. market is going to continue to evolve and accept smaller vehicles so there might be room for both the Avenger and the Renegade successor. Both could play a key role as feeders into the Jeep brand to win customers over who stay with Jeep as they progress to larger vehicles.

“I want to bring in more Jeeps for more people,” Broderdorf says, and play in the heart of every segment. He recognizes the Avenger pushes the American Jeep market into a smaller space than it is traditionally in, but he wonders if the subcompact is fun and cool enough to be successful.

See All 32 Photos32

Business Case Must Be Made

The Avenger is built in Poland and went on sale in Europe in 2023 with plans to also offer it in other countries including Japan, South Korea, and Latin America. Because it was designed for foreign markets, it would have to be homologated for sale here.

“I have to run the business case to see if it can be done, can I sell it, what would it cost, and can I get it here.” He does not know the answers to these questions yet. “I have a lot of work to do before I can make that call.” The desire is there. “I have my hit list of things and that one is on there. So, we’ll see,” Broderdorf says. But it is not his immediate priority. To attend to the waning health of Jeep, he must first focus on things that appropriately fit the market to grow the brand, like figuring out better sales for its Jeep Gladiator pickup truck.

The Avenger was the first pure electric Jeep. It was followed by the Jeep Wagoneer S midsize electric SUV that is headed to U.S. showrooms now and becomes the first electric Jeep in the U.S. It will be followed later this year by the midsize Jeep Recon EV which is more off-road oriented.