- El fabricante de Jeep, Stellantis, se apoya en tecnologías de proveedores automotrices para sus nuevos SUV híbridos, según ha sabido CNBC.
- Los fabricantes de automóviles utilizan regularmente componentes de proveedores, pero es menos común en el caso de sistemas o tecnologías clave, especialmente aquellos desarrollados por un competidor como Toyota.
- El impulso de Stellantis es un excelente ejemplo de cambios más amplios en el mercado que se alejan de los vehículos totalmente eléctricos y una forma en que los fabricantes de automóviles pueden llevar más rápidamente los vehículos híbridos al mercado, potencialmente con un costo de capital menor.
Jeep Cherokee 2026.
Cortesía: Stellantis
DETROIT — El fabricante de Jeep, Stellantisse apoya en tecnologías de proveedores automotrices para sus nuevos SUV híbridos, ya que se espera que el mercado de vehículos más eficientes en términos de combustible continúe creciendo, según ha podido saber CNBC.
El primer SUV híbrido Jeep del fabricante de automóviles transatlántico para América del Norte, el recientemente lanzado Cherokee , cuenta con un sistema de una empresa respaldada por Toyota llamada Blue Nexus, mientras que sus próximos vehículos eléctricos de autonomía extendida, o EREV, utilizan importantes tecnologías de Bosch, el proveedor automotriz más grande del mundo.
No es raro que los fabricantes de automóviles utilicen componentes de proveedores, pero es menos común en el caso de sistemas o tecnologías clave, especialmente aquellos desarrollados por un competidor como Toyota.
Pero la iniciativa de Stellantis es un excelente ejemplo de la transformación del mercado hacia vehículos totalmente eléctricos y una forma de que los fabricantes de automóviles puedan comercializar con mayor rapidez vehículos híbridos —cuya demanda ha aumentado incluso antes del aumento de los precios del petróleo— , potencialmente con un menor coste de capital. Muchos fabricantes de automóviles ya han perdido miles de millones de dólares debido al gasto masivo en vehículos eléctricos, incluyendo el desarrollo y la producción de muchas de estas tecnologías.
El Jeep Cherokee, que utiliza la transmisión híbrida eléctrica continuamente variable de dos motores de Blue Nexus, y el próximo Jeep Grand Wagoneer EREV son lanzamientos importantes para el fabricante de automóviles este año, especialmente en su intento de recuperar participación de mercadoen los EE. UU. Stellantis también planea utilizar el sistema EREV en sus camionetas Ram.
“Las tendencias de electrificación se mantienen prácticamente sin cambios. Las tendencias híbridas están en pleno auge”, declaró Richard Cox, vicepresidente senior de operaciones de la marca Jeep, a CNBC durante un reciente evento para los medios de comunicación sobre el Cherokee 2026. “Así que creo que fue un gran paso en la dirección correcta”.
Officials with Stellantis and the auto suppliers declined to comment on the tie-ups, but sources with each of the companies who weren’t permitted to speak publicly about the partnerships confirmed the details to CNBC.
Both hybrid systems operate differently. The Cherokee is more of a traditional hybrid vehicle, much like many of Toyota’s models, including the Prius.
The upcoming EREVs, meanwhile, drive like all-electric vehicles until an engine kicks in and works as a generator to power the vehicle’s electric motors when the vehicle’s battery is depleted. The engine powers the electric motors rather than the vehicle itself.
Both hybrid systems use Stellantis engines and have been integrated to meet the company’s own standards and driving dynamics, according to two sources with the automaker.
Both systems are also expected to significantly improve the fuel economy of the vehicles, including the Cherokee, that at 37 mpg combined is the most fuel-efficient, non-plug-in Jeep ever produced for the U.S.
“Consumers have been accepting of [full-hybrid electric vehicle] technology due to improvements in fuel economy, [a] wide portfolio of vehicles to choose from, and as they do not require lifestyle changes to benefit from the system,” said Eric Anderson, S&P Global Mobility associate director of Americas light vehicle powertrain forecasting.
From EVs to hybrids
Stellantis and other automakers invested billions of dollars in recent years to develop all-electric vehicles to meet federal regulations and unsubstantiated consumer demand, but most have pulled back on those investments and are eyeing hybrids to increase the fuel economy of vehicles and meet customers’ expectations.
Stellantis last month disclosed $26 billion in charges related to its EV plans, while its crosstown Detroit rivals also have announced write-downs. Ford Motor said it would record $19.5 billion in special charges as it pulls back on EV plans, while General Motors said its write-down would be $7.6 billion due to its EV changes.
Ram 1500 extended range hybrid pickup, set to come to market in early 2026, will have the longest driving range the company has ever offered in a light-duty truck, up to 690 total miles between its gas engine and battery power.
Ram | Stellantis
Peter Tadros, president of Bosch’s North America power solutions, said the auto supplier has received an influx of inquiries into its hybrid systems as automakers look to pivot away from EVs and get to market quickly, with a reliable system and partner.
“There’s definitely a very big interest in these systems,” he told CNBC. “What’s been very apparent over the last few years is hybrid sales have increased regardless of what’s in the regulations, regardless of the political leaning. It’s been a consistent increase in the market.”
Led by Toyota, sales of hybrids in the U.S. have increased from 7.3% of the market in 2023 to 12.6% last year, according to S&P Global Mobility. That compares with sales of all-electric vehicles during that time rising from 7.5% to 8%.
S&P Global Mobility expects hybrid electric vehicles to account for 18.4% of U.S. sales this year, while all-electric vehicles are forecast to be 7.1%.
Tadros declined to comment on any relationship with Stellantis, citing company policies, but said it’s common for Bosch to work closely and partner with automakers to launch new vehicles and products.
“There is no one silver bullet, and everybody’s coming at it from a different direction,” he said. “It depends on each [automaker], where their strength, where their capital equipment, is and how they best utilize it, and this is their starting point.”
Bosch offers what the industry refers to as “off the shelf” components, which the company then integrates with each automaker’s particular use case. Other than EREV, Bosch also offers components for more traditional hybrids as well as plug-in hybrid electric vehicles that operate similar to EREVs but drive more like traditional gas-powered vehicles rather than EVs.
Toyota tech
Stellantis, more than some other automakers, has a history of teaming up with others in the industry to reduce research and development costs and capital. It has a long-standing partnership with German auto supplier ZF for transmissions and axle systems.
“They’ve often relied on supplier partners for things like that,” said Sam Abuelsamid, vice president of market research at communications and advisory firm Telemetry. “The benefit is, you can take something that has perhaps already been invested in, developed by a supplier. Take something off the shelf, you potentially bring it to market more quickly.”
Abuelsamid said downsides include the parts potentially not integrating perfectly with vehicle systems and a company not having control over the supply chain of key components.
In the 2000s, as the Toyota Prius was gaining traction in the U.S., the Japanese automaker cut deals with Ford and Nissan Motor to license or use certain hybrid technologies for their vehicles. But those deals and the vehicles that were produced from them, such as Ford Escape and Nissan Altima hybrids, did not last long.
Blue Nexus es una empresa conjunta fundada en 2019 por los proveedores japoneses de automoción Denso y Aisin, ambos pertenecientes al grupo matriz de Toyota Motor. Comercializa componentes electrificados como ejes electrónicos (e-axles) y sistemas híbridos como el Toyota Hybrid System II, que incluye la transmisión híbrida eléctrica de dos motores continuamente variable que utiliza el Jeep Cherokee.
No fue posible contactar a un representante de Blue Nexus para que hiciera comentarios. Toyota, Denso y Aisin se negaron a hacer comentarios o no respondieron a las solicitudes de comentarios.
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