How will Jeep, an off-road specific automaker, adapt its vehicle design in the electric future?
Mark Allen, head of design for Jeep, told Australian media during a recent conference that the Jeep range (bar the Wrangler) can “honestly be as modern as we want and have identifiable Jeep elements to them”.
However, Jeep’s iconic Wrangler four-wheel-drive silhouette won’t look so different.
Jeep is already experimenting with electric systems and design
“Hopefully a Wrangler will easily be identified as a Wrangler,” Allen said.
“I’m not going to be shackled by too much. I’m more interested in what it’s going to bring to the off-road side of things”.
Allen is the man behind exterior designs for products such as the JL Wrangler, along with overseeing Grand Cherokee and Gladiator production programs.
The current JL Wrangler
Every year, Allen gets the opportunity to build several special, one-off concept models for the Jeep Easter Safari in Moab, Utah.
Aerodynamics a clear challenge for the Jeep brand going forward
Mark Allen also stressed to Australian media that aerodynamics had become “hyper critical” in the development of future car design.
The Jeep Gladiator could be ‘modernised’ in terms of its styling
“Aero has become super important. But now it’s hyper critical, and that is affecting things and is more impactful for an off-road brand. [Areas such as] tyres, ride height, approach angle – we are adapting and learning how to counter some of that”.
It’s hard to imagine a super sleek Jeep off-roader in the future, especially considering Jeep’s typical boxy design language, however concept cars from the brand have shown that truly anything is possible.
