According to the headline of a report in AutoExpress (a British automotive news outlet), Mike Manley, the big cheese for the Jeep brand has said that a hybrid engine option could be a go for the all-new Wrangler expected to debut for 2017.

Manley is quoted in AutoExpress as saying, “You have the potential for hybrid powertrains in the future. For those people who use the Wrangler, the most important thing is the initial torque and the crawl ratio. With an electric motor you have the most torque available and with the right combination of transmission and gear ratios you can create incredible crawl ratios.”

However before you start screaming “Blasphemy!,” let’s examine what Manley continued to say, according to the report from the other side of the Pond. Manley said, “Where you have to be careful with the Wrangler is range. If you are eight hours and four miles into a trail, there is not a hybrid that we could do which could provide the battery support. The way that combination is calibrated would be more unique for a Wrangler than it would, for example, a Grand Cherokee.”

We could not get anyone from Jeep to comment on these statements, but in retrospect, Manley is not claiming there will be hybrid power for the next-gen Wrangler, but in fact commenting on the higher likelihood of its possibility for use in the Cherokee. Why does this so obviously sound like a more accurate interpretation of the reported comments from the head of the Jeep division?

Even though it’s true that electric hybrid power can supply high torque levels from a standing start and at low speeds, ever more relevant is the fact that current hybrid technology, as well as hybrid technology for the near future (keep in mind that 2017 is less then two years away) depends upon massive battery assets (think lots of weight). More relevant to this discussion is that fact that these electrical storage and power sources have limited range, something that will not suit the intended purpose of the off-road biased Wrangler or its major purchasing audience.

In addition, Manley has repeatedly said that they must be very careful with any major changes to the Wrangler because its audience is so sensitive to alterations to the off-road vehicle’s DNA. Anything that would alter its rugged appearance or hint at lesser off-road capability would be disastrous to sales of the Wrangler, a vehicle that continues to set sales records for the company. In our opinion, the hybrid option is viable for the Cherokee, a more street and urban oriented vehicle than the venerable Wrangler. That’s our two cents. What do you think?