Stellantis announced its would-be flagship extended-range Ram 1500 EV more than two years ago, but the Mopar faithful have just learned they’ll have to wait just a bit longer to get their hands on it, as well as its SUV confidant, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. Based on a recent report from Auto News, the Ram REV, originally meant to launch sometime in 2025, has a new target date of mid-April 2027; the Grand Wagoneer is delayed until November 2026. For an OEM plagued by operating losses last year, the news is yet another blow in a year full of larger missteps.
The Rundown
Unlike a standard hybrid drivetrain, Stellantis’ extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) architecture uses its internal combustion motor to continuously charge its batteries, while electric motors drive each wheel. To ensure the drivetrain launches without issue, Stellantis is taking what it classifies as a necessary step back from an earlier launch date. With the Grand Wagoneer EREV’s production taking place at Stellantis’ Truck Assembly Plant in Warren, Michigan, and the Ram’s nearby in the Detroit suburb of Sterling Heights, the move gives both plants more time to fine-tune novel components for a more streamlined launch process.
Exciting Tech, But a TBD Truck Enthusiast Audience
Hot off the heels of Ram canceling the all-electric Ram 1500 in the fall of 2025 citing lack of consumer interest, Stellantis reckons the ICE-toting Ram REV, formerly called the Ramcharger, packs more of what its customers want while leaving out what they don’t. In a similar move to Ford’s axing of the already in-production F-150 Lightning in favor of an EREV, the trend comes as a direct response to a downturn of interest in BEV trucks across the entire American automotive market. As of late summer 2026, only GM, Rivian, and Tesla offer full-electric pickups, and stark market trends suggest that list could become shorter in the near term. Whether this downturn is proportional to an uptick in EREV interest remains to be seen, and will need to wait at least a few more months before accurate sales data is available.
Big Changes on the Grand Wagoneer Side As Well
Over in Jeep Land, the brand’s flagship luxury SUV lineup has been in a similar state of flux recently. Beginning this year, the Grand Wagoneer’s lower-trimmed little brother, the standard Wagoneer, formally left production. It leaves the base MSRP’s $66,790 Grand Wagoneer as the sole carrier of the historic nameplate, putting the king’s share of pressure on the model to carry the flag for Jeep on the luxury front. Meanwhile, the Wrangler and Grand Cherokee remain Jeep’s primary sales drivers, as they have for decades. Elsewhere, the Grand Wagoneer is fresh off an 11,980-unit strong recall, with faulty stability control and brake assist systems being the culprit. With these factors in play, Jeep needs the Grand Wagoneer EREV’s launch to be utterly seamless, making its production pushback all the more understandable.
2026: A Year of Constant Change for Ram and Jeep
The beginning of 2026 was a tumultuous time, particularly for Jeep’s hybrid operations. The start of the year saw the brand sunset its 4xe line of plug-in hybrids in a massive corporate shift towards conventional hybrids, as well as EREVs. As for Ram, the return of the much-beloved 5.7-liter Hemi V8 heralded a profound change in strategy for Stellantis’ truck brand. Along with the Pentastar V6 and battery-toting Ram REV, the brand’s 1500-series lineup appears to be in prime position to compete with Ford and GM in a dramatically different truck market than even just a couple of short years ago. With this in mind, the recent production pushback of Stellantis’ EREVs could be a tiny footnote in the story of a larger brand resurgence on multiple fronts. For now, all that’s left to do is wait.
