Long-rumored, confirmed, delayed, and now given an official production date, Jeep’s Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat will make its way to the U.S. in July of 2017, according to Jeep CEO Mike Manley.
As expected, the brand’s fastest-ever model will use the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 from the Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcats with an output to match: 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque. Though those figures have yet to be confirmed, keep in mind that the Grand Cherokee SRT “only” makes 470 hp, so even getting close to that 707 figure means a massive performance increase.
As is, the regular SRT gets to 60 mph in 4.6 seconds and tops out at 157 mph. That could mean the Hellcat version will either dip below the 4.0-second mark or be just at that level while its top speed could climb beyond 175 mph. You’d best have a few sets of spare tires handy, but those kind of speeds in an SUV will be mind-bendingly fun.
Then there’s the Grand Cherokee SRT’s competition. While the SUV is currently on the low end of performance among rivals like the Porsche Cayenne Turbo, Range Rover Sport SVR, and BMW X5 M, the Hellcat tweaks could make it the fastest SUV on the market — that is if it can put the power down.
It’s not yet clear if Jeep will apply the rumored “Trackhawk” name to the Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee, but given the Trailhawk badge has been applied to the off-road focused version, it’s a fair bet. There’s also word that the regular SRT will continue to be sold alongside the super-powered Trackhawk, likely because there will be at least a couple hundred horsepower between the two body styles. Then there’s the price. The current SRT starts at $66,490 — right around the price tag for the Charger and Challenger Hellcat, but the Trackhawk could command upwards of $75,000.
Even at that much larger figure, the Grand Cherokee Hellcat/Trackhawk will still cost thousands less than its rivals, which have much more of a luxury slant than the Jeep.
BYD has launched the third-generation Qin Plus DM-i in China, and the first thing that caught my eye is its price. According to CarNewsChina, the plug-in hybrid sedan starts at 79,900 yuan, which is about $11,980. That’s an incredibly low price for a brand-new car, especially by US standards.
What’s even more impressive is the range. The Qin Plus DM-i can drive up to 137 miles on electricity alone, which should cover most people’s daily commutes without using a drop of gas. Once the battery runs out, the 1.5-liter engine takes over. Thanks to its 17-gallon tank and roughly 91 mpg with a drained battery, the combined range reaches up to 1,423 miles.
Apple won the PC market’s worst quarter, but that’s not the entire story. It won the race by stumbling less than everyone else.
PC makers shipped just 57 million computers worldwide in Q3, which might look good, but it’s a 21% year-over-year plunge (via Counterpoint Research). And despite Apple’s Mac shipments falling by 11%, to 5.6 million, its market share rose from 8.7% to 9.8%. How did that happen?
Update (October 22 23:54 PT): In response to our query, GM clarified that offline recording support is already available on eligible vehicles. Like Tesla's Sentry Mode, it requires owners to connect a USB drive to save incident recordings, which can be viewed on the vehicle's infotainment screen. The upcoming Connected Cameras feature will build on this by giving owners remote access to these recordings via the revamped OnStar app, allowing them to check footage without walking out to their car.
General Motors has announced plans to add a new Connected Cameras feature to its OnStar service starting next year, giving drivers a way to monitor parked vehicles remotely and capture footage of certain incidents.