JEEP has lifted the wraps on its new Avenger model, the brand's first ever battery electric vehicle, at the Paris Motor Show.

The compact SUV, which will sit just below the Renegade in the Jeep line-up, spearheads a plan by Jeep to launch four fully electric models in Europe by 2025.

Produced at the Stellantis plant in Tychy, Poland, the newcomer is equipped with a new generation 400-volt electric motor and 54kW battery plus standard SelecTerrain and Hill Descent Control.

And Jeep says that using a fast charger the Avenger can take on sufficient power in just three minutes to be able to travel more than 18 miles while the battery can be charged from 20 to 80 per cent in 24 minutes.

Or with an 11kW cable connected to a home wallbox or public station it's possible to ‘fill up' from empty to 100 per cent in 5.5 hours.

Developed with the specific needs of European customers in mind, the Avenger is a considerably important vehicle to Jeep, given that the compact SUV area of the new car market is expected to reach an annual total of 2.2 million sales by next year.

Regards design, the front of the Avenger features the trademark Jeep seven-slot grille - positioned in front of the headlights to protect them in the event of an impact - while the car's silhouette is reinforced by a floating ‘C' pillar, a familiar trait in the current Jeep line-up.

There are also 18-inch diamond cut wheels, 360-degree cladding, encased headlamps and skid plates made of a polymer mould-in colour which doesn't show any damage if they are scratched.

Thanks to these additions, it has been estimated that a customer can reduce potential accident damage costs by around £865.

Jeep's European chief Antonella Bruno said: "The Avenger is the first zero emission SUV for the Jeep brand.

"It will be the new entry point to the Jeep range and will allow us to complete our SUV coverage and we expect it to become the best selling model in our portfolio by 2024.

"Avenger adds another level of electrification to our offering and represents a further step in the Jeep brand's evolution."

The Avenger arrives in showrooms early next year and UK customers will be able to place reservations from January 2023.