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When Jeep rolled its all-electric Recon onto the stand at the Los Angeles Auto Show, the brand expected the usual behind-the-scenes scrutiny – rival engineers taking measurements, designers noting proportions and show-goers poking around the cabin. What it didn’t expect was a pair of influencers pulling trim off the vehicle and filming the whole thing for social media.
The now-deleted footage, captured by LA-based channel, The Middle Lane, showed the creators gripping and twisting interior panels, wobbling the infotainment screen, and zooming in on uneven gaps to test the vehicle’s build quality. The clip disappeared from the brand’s social media changes soon after backlash escalated.
In a formal statement, Jeep responded: “The actions taken to disassemble the all-new Jeep Recon on display at the LA Auto Show were both destructive and unprofessional. The vehicle in question is a pre-production show car, built exclusively for reveals and events to highlight the Design inspiration for the final product.
“These prototype units are typically hand-built and not intended to demonstrate final production, durability, quality, or integrity of materials. The final production version will embody the uncompromising capability and authenticity Jeep owners expect and love.”
Jeep also stressed the Recon on display wasn’t a production-spec EV but a hand-assembled showpiece – an early-build vehicle that prioritises aesthetics and packaging over durability. Components may be lightly fastened for transport and rapid event setup, and some interior elements are placeholders rather than fully engineered parts. Treating one of these fragile prototypes as a durability benchmark, Jeep argued, provides a completely false impression of the final product.
At auto shows, it’s common for rival engineers to quietly study competitors’ vehicles, but that attention usually stops at taking photos, checking proportions, or doing gap analysis. Physically tearing pieces away on the show floor crosses a line.
