Jeep SRT to get Hellcat

One of the most notable things about this year’s North American International Auto Show media preview was the lack of any real surprises.

Until, that is, Toronto-based journalist Brian Makse was shooting a video interview with Jeep CEO Mike Manley on Monday afternoon.

When the Hellcat Charger was introduced a year or so ago, FCA executives said that they could and would be stuffing the 707-hp V8 into several other models. Since then, journalists and enthusiasts alike have been hounding company officials for confirmation of what the next Hellcat might be, with many speculating that the Jeep Grand Cherokee was the logical choice.

“One last question, I like to go fast, so my favourite Jeep is the SRT. Can you put a Hellcat motor into one of those for me?” asked Makse. Manley finally let the cat out of the bag, so to speak, saying: “Not only can I put a Hellcat motor in one of those for you, I’m going to bring that to market before the end of 2017.”

Meanwhile, Google’s self-driving executive John Krafcik says his company is looking for partners.

Last month, many automotive outlets, including this one, reported that Google was close to finalizing a deal with Ford to build the Internet giant’s autonomous vehicles. It would seem that this is not the case.

At the Automotive News World Congress event in Detroit on Tuesday, former Ford executive Krafcik, who now leads Google’s self-driving car program, told journalists that the tech giant is indeed looking for partners to bring their vision to market.

“We are going to need a lot of help,” Krafcik said, “and in the next stages of our project, we’re going to be partnering more and more for sure. You can count on it.” Freelance writer Gary Grant is a regular contributor to Wheels. To reach him, please email wheels@thestar.ca and put his name in the subject line.