Designer Antonio Paglia comes up with a concept Jeep that looks straight out of the year 2048.
It’s safe to say that since the introduction of the automobile people of all ages and races have sketched out millions of concept vehicles. Most of those have just been doodles scrawled on notebooks to pass the time during a boring class or soul-draining meeting. Then there are the formal concepts created by the designers at automakers, which eventually turn into production vehicles. In between those two extremes are creations such as Antonio Paglia’s Jeep Freedom Concept.
According to Paglia’s Bēhance page for it, the Jeep Freedom Concept is an electric SUV with a design “that breaks with the elements of the past.” That’s largely true. The slits for headlights bring the 2014-2018 KL Cherokee to mind and the stubby grille slats seem to have been taken off of a modern Compass, but the rest looks unlike any Jeep we’ve ever seen.
The Freedom Concept certainly has Jeep design cues, but it seems as if it’s from a future in which Jeep makes more than just off-road-focused SUVs. In fact, the Freedom Concept looks more like a performance SUV than a sibling of the Wrangler. Its giant wheels are pure one-off flash. The roof looks as if it’s made out of carbon fiber (think BMW M4). The way the rear hatch leans into the roof is reminiscent of the Lamborghini Urus. We see some Porsche Macan in the full-width taillights. And of course, there’s the electric power plant under the hood.
Despite its mix of visual DNA from Jeep and other brands, the Freedom Concept is an attractive and well-executed “What If?” Will Jeep ever venture into making sleek and fast performance SUVs (that aren’t the Grand Cherokee SRT/Trackhawk)? Only time will tell. If they do, we know who they can contact for ideas.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
