Jeep has wasted no time in making use of the new partnership between FCA and PSA by starting development on a new ‘ultra-compact’ SUV that will be pitched as a more rugged alternative to the likes of the Nissan Juke and Volkswagen T-Cross. And Auto Express can reveal that it’s going to be offered as a fully electric vehicle, too.

Senior Jeep officials have confirmed to us that the as-yet-unnamed model will be in showrooms by 2022. The small SUV is being developed with European markets in mind, because the segment is one of the fastest growing in a region where Jeep still sees significant scope for higher sales.

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When quizzed about the vehicle’s brief and styling, Marco Pigozzi, Jeep’s European Head of Brand Marketing, said the crossover would offer plenty of day-to-day practicality, but without compromising Jeep’s renowned off-road capability. “The car will be able to be used as a bad-ass Jeep, but it has also been designed to be used every day,” Pigozzi told us.

Previewed by our exclusive images, the forthcoming baby SUV will be around four metres in length – which will make it slightly longer than a Suzuki Jimny, but a few millimetres shorter than the recently-launched Juke. It will retain Jeep’s chunky styling cues and boxy proportions.