Jeep has moved to hose down doubts about its future in Australia, with the brand’s vice president of global product planning Matt Nyquist saying right-hand drive markets remain a priority for the iconic US off-road brand, and that Australia is still firmly in the frame.
The comments came during an interview with Australian media at the 60th Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
“The right-hand drive markets are so important… we’re committed to right-hand drive [and] Australia,” said Mr Nyquist.
He also made clear that factory right-hand drive production isn’t a token exercise, describing it as “the hardest and most expensive part to put into play”.
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“So, you know, obviously things change quite a bit, especially in this industry. A lot of evolution, things like that. But for all of our key products, we want to make sure we protect them for right-hand drive,” he said.
These reassurances are important because Jeep’s Australian business has been in a sales decline for the last few years. After peaking at 30,408 deliveries in 2014, Jeep fell to 2456 sales in 2024 and just 1682 in 2025, which has also meant its local dealership network is now sitting at around 44 retailers.
That pressure intensified in March 2025 when Stellantis paused sales of the Jeep Grand Cherokee locally, leaving Jeep with just the Avenger light electric SUV, the Compass small SUV, the Wrangler large off-roader, and the Gladiator dual-cab pickup in Australian showrooms.
At the time, Stellantis Australia said it had made the “difficult decision” to pause the large SUV, but added: “The Jeep brand remains fully committed to the Australian market and Stellantis continues to invest heavily in its global product portfolio.”
The Grand Cherokee, once Australia’s best-selling large SUV, has been one of the clearest symbols of that decline. Its local sales crashed from 16,582 in 2014 to just 645 in 2024, its last full year on sale.
Yet Mr Nyquist argued Australia still makes obvious sense for the brand.
“What a great market for Jeep too. I mean, it’s had its ups and downs for sure, but you get a lot of environment, a lot of landscape that requires the 4×4… requires the capability,” he said.
“It’s like a good synergy between the brand and that market, for sure.”
He also suggested that commitment isn’t limited to vehicles themselves. Asked about accessories, Mr Nyquist said Jeep was “definitely committed to provide everything we can from Mopar”, adding that it has “always been a key piece of our strategy for people to take the Jeep and then make it their own with upfits”.
There was some caution around future product, but not a retreat from right-hand drive. “For all of our key products, we want to make sure we protect them for right-hand drive,” Mr Nyquist said.
He added: “For Jeep being global, it’s always in the calculus, and we’re always studying it, because there are mature markets. There’s history of sales, especially Australia…”
That message is broadly consistent with what Jeep has been saying for years. In 2022, then-global boss Christian Meunier said right-hand drive markets like Australia, Japan, and the UK would remain “crucial” to Jeep’s growth, and that “the future models for the vast majority of the product are going be right-hand drive as well”.
Jeep is also still publicly pointing to fresh product for Australia. On its local website, the brand says it has “repositioned” pricing across the range, that the new Jeep Compass is arriving in 2026, and that the all-electric Jeep Recon is “on the horizon”.
There’s still a long way between commitment and a turnaround, especially with Jeep’s sales continuing to slide. But if the message from Moab is taken at face value, Jeep isn’t spending the hundreds of millions required to engineer right-hand drive vehicles just to walk away from Australia now.