Jeep Avenger wins European Car of the Year, but you can’t the brand’s first EV in America

• The Jeep Avenger was named European Car of the Year 2023, but is not available in the US.
• It’s Jeep’s first all-electric vehicle and is surprisingly small for an SUV at 13.4 feet.
• Jeep CEO Christian Meunier thinks it’s too compact for the North American market.

Jeep’s all-electric Avenger was named the 2023 European Car of the Year at the Brussels Auto Show on Friday.

The compact SUV is Jeep’s first battery-electric model. According to Top Gear magazine, the award was voted on by a panel of automotive journalists from about 20 countries.

One was Top Gear’s Paul Horrell, who commented:

It scored 328 points and was ranked first by a 21-man jury, beating out the electric revival of Volkswagen’s duo called ID. Buzz, and electric family crossover Nissan Arya, The Telegraph reported.

According to the paper, the Avenger will feature “an attractive exterior design reminiscent of ’70s American boxy Jeeps and a distinctive 7-slot grille first seen on World War II-era Willys Jeeps.” “It feels comfortable and a little bit special in a nearly identical jacked-up Supermini in this class.”

The Avenger is part of Jeep’s commitment to becoming the leader in electric SUVs. The manufacturer wants EVs to account for all sales in Europe by 2030, and at least half in North America, he reported Tech Crunch.

But Auto Express says the Avenger is only available in select countries in Europe and North Africa.

Jeep CEO Christian Meunier told Tech Crunch last year that there was “no real market potential in North America” ​​for small SUVs like the Avenger.

Unveiled at the Paris Motor Show in October, the Avenger is just 13.4 feet long. According to a press release from Jeep owner Stellatis, the designers sought to embody “the brand’s DNA” in “compact dimensions.”

Nonetheless, Jeep says the Avenger offers “uncompromising” off-road capability despite its size, as well as a range of nearly 250 miles.

The Jeep Recon and Wagoneer S will be the first fully electric Jeep SUVs available to American buyers, though they aren’t scheduled to go into production until 2024.

Many European countries offer government subsidies to let drivers buy EVs, which Jeep hopes will boost sales. In France, for example, a buyer can receive up to €7,000 ($7,590) for an electric car he costs less than €47,000 ($50,964).