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Jeep teases Trailcat and other Easter Safari concepts

Update: It's confirmed. The Trailcat is a Hellcat-powered Wrangler concept. Stay tuned for more details. Ahead of the 50th annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah, the company is teasing two of the seven concepts it'll be taking along. There are virtually no solid details about these two Jeeps, save that they exist. But just reading the word scrawled across the Jeep Wrangler Trailcat concept's hood gets the blood pumping. We've been hearing about Hellcat-powered Jeeps for a while now. The Grand Cherokee Trackhawk has been the subject of a steady drum-roll of rumors and reputed confirmations, and even a spy video. But that's the Grand Cherokee. But a Wrangler? The aftermarket has been fooling with it. A company called Hauk will stuff one in a Wrangler for you, and surely other companies will follow. For Jeep itself to stuff one into a concept vehicle seems like a great way to fire up the diehard Wrangler folks. The other concept is called the Jeep Crew Chief, and it looks like an update of the Jeep Chief concept from last year. That incredible, retro design recalled the SJ-generation Jeep Cherokee of the 1970s and '80s. Last year's Chief was based on a Wrangler Unlimited, with the rear doors slightly disguised to emulate its two-doored forbearer. Based on the "Crew" part of the name, we can surmise it might be a crew-cab pickup conversion with the wonderful Chief front end. Expect it to be a hit, as well. Related Video: Jeep Truck SUV Off-Road Vehicles easter jeep safari

Jeepster name may be used for Fiat-based baby Jeep

In 1948, Willys-Overland, the forbearers of Jeep, built a vehicle called the Jeepster. It was a funky little thing, designed as a mix of the more rugged Jeeps that came before with what was then a modern car, which arguably makes it the world's first crossover. The name was later revived from 1966 to 1972, which means for Jeep enthusiasts, it has some history.
Now, the modern Jeep brand may revive the Jeepster name for a new product, likely based on Fiat bones, that will slot in at the bottom of the brand's range underneath the soon-to-depart Compass and Patriot. The report comes from Australia's Drive, which cites a dealer source that has seen the vehicle.
That same dealer confirmed there is a link between the Jeepster and the rumored Fiat 500X, and that the former will be available in both front and all-wheel-drive variants. The source also claims both gas and diesel engines will be available, although as this is an Aussie site, we shouldn't take that to mean we'll get a diesel Jeepster in the US.

Jeep Wrangler likely to get aluminum body, will stay in Toledo

Perhaps more than any other vehicle currently for sale in the United States, the Jeep Wrangler is viewed by purist fans as a vehicle that simply must maintain the status quo. In this case, that means a body-on-frame design, solid axles, a relatively large engine sitting up front and a removable top. It's always been that way, and it always will be.
Maybe.
According to the most recent reports, the next-generation Jeep will continue to soldier forth with a full steel chassis underneath its stamped bodywork. The biggest change, reports Automotive News, will be that said panels will be hewn from aluminum instead of steel, a seismic shift of a transition not unlike what's happened with the new Ford F-150. Because it won't be a unibody, the SUV will likely continue to be assembled in Toledo, OH as it (almost) always has been - the latter has been a source of heartburn in recent weeks for the Northwestern city in the Buckeye State.