Stellantis: history, heritage of the car manufacturer
Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group.
- In a currently viral video, an influencer is seen peeling off plastic parts from a Jeep Recon model.
- The video received millions of views, with the creators criticizing the production quality and price.
- But Jeep says this is a hand-crafted pre-production model and doesn’t resemble the quality buyers will expect when the off-road EV goes on sale in 2026.
Jeep is calling out influencers who vandalized and mocked the interior of its latest model, the Recon, in a viral video at the Los Angeles Auto Show that opened last week.
In a video that has garnered millions of views across social media platforms, the Los Angeles-based content creators, who go by the name The Middle Lane, open the video by saying, “Oh, I took the Jeep apart. Oh, dear,” as they peel off a plastic panel from the center console of a new Recon.
Throughout the video, the creator criticizes the vehicle’s build quality and says it’s not worth the $65,000 list price. They may point out gaps in interior panels or shake parts of the vehicle. The Recon, an all-electric off-roader, was announced by Jeep on November 18th and made its public debut at the LA Auto Show.
Stellantis has made it clear that the automaker opposes the stunt.
“The actions taken to disassemble the new Jeep Recon on display at the LA Auto Show were destructive and unprofessional,” spokeswoman Kaylene Connelly said in an emailed statement to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY Network.
The company said the prototype model was assembled by hand and not in the same way as the consumer vehicle that will be released in 2026.
“The vehicle in question is a pre-production show car, built exclusively for public exhibitions and events to highlight design inspiration for the final product. These prototype units are typically hand-built and are not intended to demonstrate final production, durability, quality or material integrity,” the statement said.
The video was published across The Middle Lane’s social media channels. The Middle Lane was founded by Luke Miani. He also creates technology-related videos under his own name on YouTube.
Recon’s video has since been removed from YouTube and Instagram, but remains publicly available on TikTok as of late Tuesday, November 25th.
Miani did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Liam Rapley covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: LRappleye@freepress.com.
