We spoke with Stellantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gilles at the Jeep Wagoneer S reveal, and he shared a bunch of interesting tidbits about the development of the electric SUV's design. And among our questions was why the Wagoneer S was the lead for an electric Jeep, especially as the Recon seems more obviously Jeep. Gilles said that a major factor was the desire to offer something with significant range, noting that the 300-mile range was an important target.
The young design team also contributed to some of the Wagoneer S's materials decisions. He said they were instrumental in moving away from more traditional luxury materials like wood, favoring instead all variety of metal trimmings including aluminum and zinc. Chrome was out, too, due to its environmental issues , and it being more on the traditional side.
Aerodynamics are of course an important factor in an EV to get range, and especially for the Wagoneer S with its 300-mile target. Key to getting there was the"R-Wing," which hides the Wagoneer S's sloping fastback. And Gilles revealed in the presentation that styling was the only reason for it at first. Certainly it did allow for a more traditional SUV look with fastback aero, but that was all it did.
Energy Energy Latest News, Energy Energy Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Source: therealautoblog - 🏆 528. / 51 Read more »
Source: CARmagazine - 🏆 382. / 55 Read more »