The car world has seen a number of unlikely partnerships in the past, from Lotus and Vauxhall, Alfa Romeo and Nissan, and Toyota and Aston Martin – and now it looks like we might get another oddball pairing.
Last week, Jaguar Land Rover and Stellantis – the parent company of Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Peugeot, Fiat and Citroen, to name a few of its dozen brands – signed a “Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to explore opportunities to collaborate on product development in the United States”.
In a joint media release, the carmakers said that “under the terms of the non‑binding MOU, Stellantis and JLR will explore collaboration opportunities to create synergies across product and technology development, leveraging the companies’ complementary strengths to create value for both organizations”.
Though no specific brands have been identified as being key to the potential collaboration, it’s widely expected that Land Rover and Jeep will be at the core of the partnership.
The two brands have the greatest crossover in the US market, with Land Rover – specifically its Range Rover-branded vehicles – appealing to luxury customers but with off-road capability, while Jeep offers a more raw adventure-focused experience.
However, the potential partnership has already raised eyebrows, due in part to the poor reputation of not only JLR and Stellantis on a wider scale, but specifically Jeep and Land Rover in the US.
US data analytics firm JD Power releases annual studies on new and recent vehicles, which extends to its Vehicle Dependability Study.
In the most recent 2026 edition, there were 29 brands ranked, with Jeep coming in 26th with 267 problems per 100 vehicles, and Land Rover in 27th with 274 problems per 100 vehicles. For context, the industry average was 204 problems per 100 vehicles.
The tie-up might not necessarily result in the production of a joint vehicle and may be linked to sharing specific technology which can benefit both brands, however this remains to be seen.
“By working with partners to explore synergies in areas such as product and technology development, we can create meaningful benefits for both sides while remaining focused on delivering the products and experiences our customers love,” said Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa.
“As we continue to evolve JLR for the future, collaboration will play an important role in unlocking new opportunities,” JLR CEO PB Balaji said.
“Working with Stellantis allows us to explore complementary capabilities in product and technology development that support our long‑term growth plans for the US market.”
In 2025, Stellantis sold 1,260,344 vehicles in the US, with Jeep taking up the lion’s share with 593,401 sales. By contrast, JLR sold 428,854 vehicles globally in the same period.
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