Kokomo Built Engine Set to Power New Jeep Recon as Wrangler Stays Put in America

Reports out of Europe had Wrangler loyalists convinced Jeep was killing off their favorite off roader for good.

Stellantis just confirmed the real plan for the gas powered Recon headed to American dealerships.

The engine under the hood traces straight back to a Trump tariff fight and a Kokomo, Indiana plant Jeep fans forgot about.

The Wrangler Panic Started in Europe, Not Detroit

The scare started when Jeep announced it would stop selling the Wrangler in Europe after the 2026 model year.

Jeep's own European product planning chief, Marco Montepeloso, said new EU safety rules landing in mid 2026 made the current Wrangler impossible to keep selling overseas.

Europe is getting an all electric Recon instead, and Jeep is done taking Wrangler orders there before the end of 2025.

That is a real change, but it stops at the water's edge.

Here in the States, the Wrangler moved more than 151,000 units last year alone.

Nobody at Stellantis has said a word about pulling it from American showrooms.

Recon Gets a Real Engine, Not Just a Battery

The bigger story for American buyers is what Stellantis just announced for the Recon here at home.

At its Investor Day in Auburn Hills, the company confirmed the Recon will offer a traditional gas engine option in North America, not just the electric powertrain it launched with.

That engine is the new Hurricane4 turbo four cylinder, rated at 324 horsepower and 332 lb-ft of torque.

Stellantis says it makes 20 percent more power than the old 2.0-liter engine while burning 10 percent less fuel.

The Hurricane4 already debuted under the hood of the 2026 Jeep Grand Cherokee, and independent outlets like Autoblog have confirmed it delivers six-cylinder-level power from a smaller, more efficient four.

Final assembly happens at the Dundee Engine Plant in Michigan, but the aluminum block casting and bore finishing get done right in Kokomo, Indiana.

Trump's Tariffs Are the Reason This Engine Gets Built Here at All

None of this happened by accident.

President Trump's 25 percent tariff on imported passenger vehicles and light trucks made building overseas a losing bet for automakers who wanted to keep selling to Americans.

"My policy is simple," Trump said. "If you make your truck or your car in a foreign country, you have to pay for the privilege."

He made the flip side just as clear: "If you build in a factory in Michigan or somewhere in our country, you pay zero tariffs."

Stellantis got the message.

The company answered with a $13 billion investment plan over four years, the largest in its history, spread across Michigan, Ohio, Illinois and Indiana.

CEO Antonio Filosa said "accelerating growth in the U.S. has been a top priority since my first day," a line that reads a lot less like corporate spin once you see the numbers behind it.

Stellantis expects the tariffs to cost the company $1.7 billion a year, with roughly 40 percent of its US sales previously built in Mexico or Canada.

Rather than eat that bill forever, the company is now pouring more than $100 million into the Kokomo engine operation alone, adding over 100 new jobs to build the four-cylinder engine that keeps the Recon and Wrangler running.

That is the same Kokomo operation Stellantis converted from an idled transmission plant years ago specifically to build American engines for Jeep, and it is only one piece of a nationwide buildout that also includes reopening the Belvidere, Illinois plant for the Jeep Cherokee and Compass, expanding Wrangler and Gladiator production in Toledo, and adding electric SUV capacity in Warren, Michigan.

Stellantis says the full plan creates more than 5,000 new American jobs.

Kokomo Workers Keep Building the Engine Jeep Fans Actually Want

For anyone who loves a Wrangler, the news is simple – it is not going anywhere in America, and the vehicle rumored to "replace" it still needs a good old fashioned combustion engine to sell here.

That engine gets cast and finished by American workers in Indiana because the alternative, building it overseas, now costs Stellantis real money at the border.

For a brand built on Kokomo know how and Willys era grit, that is a win worth celebrating no matter what happens across the Atlantic.

Sources:

• MoparInsiders, "Jeep Will Replace The Wrangler With The Recon In Europe For 2026," MoparInsiders, 2026.
• MoparInsiders, "Jeep Recon Will Offer Traditional Gas Engine Option," MoparInsiders, 2026.
• Stellantis North America, "Stellantis' All-new 2.0-liter Hurricane 4 Turbo Engine Packs Big Power With Race-proven Combustion Technology," Stellantis Media, 2025.
• Autoblog Staff, "Jeep Debuts New Hurricane 4 Turbo Engine: Six-Cylinder Power From a Small Four," Autoblog, 2025.
• Fox Business Staff, "Stellantis invests record $13B in US plants to counter Trump tariffs," Fox Business, 2026.
• Mexico Business News Staff, "Trump Credits 25% Tariffs for US Auto Production Boom," Mexico Business News, 2026.