Hosted by the Red Rock 4-Wheelers four-wheel-drive club, the Easter Jeep Safari is a nine-day off-roading extravaganza in the off-road and overland mecca that is Moab, Utah. First held in 1967, the Easter Jeep Safari has also historically been used as a stage to unveil various Jeep-based one-offs and concept cars — with 2022 being no exception as Jeep has brought a fleet of seven customized and heavily-modified trucks to the desert for this year’s event.
Used to showcase the company’s latest prototype and production parts, Jeep Performance Parts by Mopar rolled out two brand-new vehicle concepts — the Jeep Birdcage Concept and the Jeep D-Coder Concept — as well as bringing a trio of previously unveiled SEMA builds to Moab for the 56th running of the annual event. Other concepts straight from Jeep include the Willys MB-inspired Jeep ’41 Concept, the hybrid turbo-engined Grand Cherokee 4xe Trailhawk Concept, the 2003 Wrangler-based Jeep Rubicon 20th Anniversary Concept, and the Jeep Bob Concept — the latter of which aims to combine the features of the Wrangler and Gladiator into a single platform.
The most noteworthy of the lot is undoubtedly the Jeep Wrangler Magneto 2.0 Concept. A second-generation fully-electric Wrangler prototype, this electrified off-roader features a custom-built axial flux electric motor that’s been paired with a six-speed manual transmission and is good for a whopping 625hp and 850ft-lbs of instantly-available torque — a huge bump over the gen-one Magneto’s 285hp and 273ft-lbs. The concept’s peak amperage has also more than doubled to 600 amps, allowing the Jeep EV to achieve a hypercar-esque 0-60mph time of only two seconds, according to Jeep. Other highlights include a 70 kW/h 800-volt quad Lithium-ion battery system, a Wrangler Rubicon’s Rock-Trac transfer case, Dynatrac Pro-Rock axles fore and aft, 20” wheels shod in 40” all-terrain rubber, a custom driveshaft, a stretched wheelbase, and a custom off-road suspension package with a 3” lift. Cloaked in a Surf Blue paint job, the Magneto 2.0 also boasts a custom bikini top, a one-off carbon fiber b-pillar, flared carbon fenders, and a bespoke carbon hood.
The fully-electric production Wrangler EV is slated for a release sometime in 2024, while several of the aftermarket parts seen on this collection of Jeep concepts will presumably be available for purchase over the next year.
