If until today Stellantis has been having fun playing hide and seek with the Chinese market, now it seems ready to come out into the open with an authentic “cultural hybrid” Jeep. The plan calls for the creation of an off-road SUV with the Jeep brand, but with engine, cockpit, autonomous driving and core technologies provided by Dongfeng, integrating know-how from Voyah and M-Hero.
Stellantis partners with Dongfeng on new Jeep SUV based on M-Hero M817 for China
In 2023 the idea of collaboration with Leapmotor was already in the air, but the relationship with Dongfeng is historic. Stellantis has been producing Citroën and Peugeot in China with Dongfeng for years, and now wants to step up a level. And pay attention, because we’re not talking about minor brands, because Chinese officials are reportedly in dialogue with Stellantis for deeper cooperation. In short, no more Jeeps produced by GAC, an alliance dead and buried by deficit budgets and discouragement.
The mechanism is somewhat the usual, with Stellantis taking care of aesthetics, look, form. Dongfeng will instead think about the engine, electronics, user experience. The expected result should be a Jeep crossover that will take its first step, barring any stumbles, as early as the first quarter of 2027, with an 18-month development cycle. If all goes well, there will be a triumphant release in China and, why not, beyond Chinese borders as well.
This strategic move comes as Stellantis evens the tone of surrender on Chinese soil after years of declining sales. An electric or hybrid Jeep could relaunch, or signal, an elegant revenge. The Jeep developed by Dongfeng could land in foreign markets, carrying a lot of Chinese technology in its suitcase.
As for the model to serve as cover for Stellantis, there’s talk of the M-Hero M817, a plug-in hybrid or EREV SUV that already shows its cards in the performance department. Generous dimensions, 3-meter wheelbase, combined power touching 677 horsepower and the gas-electric mix that pushes up to 1,365 km. Purely electric range is 215 km thanks to the 50.4 kWh battery. All seasoned internally with a 15.6-inch screen and Huawei’s Harmony OS 5 system.
If the incoming Jeep inherits much of this recipe, the result could be electrifying or a technical mess from the operating room. Stellantis, however, wants to rebuild its position in the Middle East. Sales in China had dropped, the Jeep brand was rather a nostalgic memory. With a renewed, electric or hybrid model, Stellantis hopes for a relaunch. And what if this China-formed Jeep also landed in Europe or elsewhere? It certainly wouldn’t be the first SUV with a Chinese soul to tread on European soil.
