New Jeep Willys Preview.

Just a few weeks ago, Stellantis officially teased a brand new Jeep model. One that could actually bring back the Willys name. A much smaller car than the current Wrangler with similar iconic styling.

The teaser above shows how large, or small, the new model will be. The current 4-door Wrangler is not small at over 188 inches long. It’s about 7 inches longer than a Toyota RAV4. The old 1940s Jeep shown in the teaser was around 135 inches long. A much, much smaller car, almost 20 inches shorter than a current Mazda Miata.

The shadow of the new car shown in the teaser does not appear to be that much larger. It looks like it could maybe be around 150 inches. maybe? Who knows. That would still be a bit shorter than the small Hyundai Venue. Unless the teaser is cheating on sizes and is making the future model look a bit smaller than it will be.

No matter what, this will be targeted to the European market first. Where small cars are, of course, more popular. And where that old-fashioned Jeep look is also popular. A small retro Jeep seems like a no-brainer.

Stellantis has said it will introduce a few new models in Europe first. They are bringing the Recon over there soon. Then a new Compass and Renegade. That could push the new Willys to 2029 or 2030. The new Willys will be a small entry-level Off-Road EV based on the same low-cost platform as the upcoming Citroën 2CV or Fiat Panda. These new models will be the cheapest of their respective brands. And so far, they look like they will have the strongest personalities. The 2CV will be a retro-futuristic take on the old Citroën Classic. Same thing for the next-generation Fiat Panda. Which will resemble the original early 1980s car.

I think designing very emotional cars as the cheapest models in the lineup is a great idea.

The 2cv EV is expected to start at under $17,000 when it comes out in Europe late next year. The Fiat Panda will probably be around the same price. A small 4X4 retro looking Jeep EV for under $20,000 will clean up over there. The EV is also a fantastic idea, with electric car market share in Europe climbing every month. Already reaching 30% of the new car market last September. By 2030, the vast majority of new car sales in Europe will be EVs.

Of course, since it is, after all, a Jeep, it would be great to have access to this over here as well. Just imagine something with that much personality for under $20,000.

3 or 4 years is a long time, and who knows…