After Fiat, it's the Chrysler Group's turn to make use of the biggest asset in the alliance, which is none other than the Ferrari brand. You may remember that in 2010, Fiat promoted its 500 city car by giving an Abarth 695 Tributo to each of Ferrari's F1 drivers, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso.

This year, the Fiat-Chrysler group is handing over the keys of two specially-prepped versions of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 to the Scuderia Ferrari drivers.

The two models are based on the regular Grand Cherokee SRT8, which sports a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 delivering 465HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque for a zero to 60mph (96km/h) time of 4.8 seconds and a maximum top speed of 160 mph (257 km/h).

All automakers have dedicated divisions that come up with names for their vehicles as well as the individual trim levels, but the Chrysler Group is taking a different course with its new production-intent Jeep Grand Cherokee Concept that was revealed today at the 2012 Houston Auto Show.

The Detroit firm is asking consumers to find a name for the new edition of the Grand Cherokee and participate in an online contest at Jeep.com/namemyride. The company will narrow down the selection to three choices and allow the public to vote online for the winning name that will be announced in May.

On Wednesday, Porsche confirmed that it will bring the Cayenne Diesel to the U.S. by 2013, but the German company isn't the only automaker with plans to sell a diesel-powered SUV in the States.

The Chrysler Group announced today that it would add a diesel version to its Jeep Grand Cherokee lineup in the United States and Canada. The North American diesel model will be manufactured at the firm's Jefferson North Assembly Plant [JNAP] in Detroit.

With a 6.4-liter HEMI V8 engine pushing 465-horses 465 lb-ft (630 Nm) of torque for 0 to 60 mph (96 km/h) sprint time of 4.8 seconds and a quarter mile time in the mid-13 second range, the regular 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 is one of the fastest production SUVs around.

But for Hennessey Performance Engineering [HPE], that's not enough. The Texas based tuner, known for its outrageously powerful tunes, has done it again with the introduction of the 2013 HPE800 Twin Turbo Jeep Grand Cherokee.

Adding another new green vehicle to the long line forming at the 2012 Detroit Motor Show, AMP Electric Vehicles will premiere it's latest electric conversion based on the new 2012 Jeep Grand Cherokee.

The Ohio-based company is in the business of converting gasoline-powered vehicles to electric having previously offered a battery-powered version of the Saturn Sky while it currently converts the 2010-2011 Mercedes-Benz ML 350 and the Chevrolet Equinox (for fleet use).

Five months after the UK launch of the regular versions of the brand-new Grand Cherokee, Jeep has announced that it is bringing the flagship SRT8.

Billed as the best-performing Jeep ever, the £58,995 Grand Cherokee SRT8 is powered by the new 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that produces 465HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque. It accelerates from standstill to 0 to 60mph [96km/h] in 4.8 seconds, has a top speed of 160 mph [257 km/h], and brakes from 60-0 mph in 116 feet.

The results are in for Euro NCAP’s fifth and last launch of 2011. A total of 14 cars were tested including two Chinese newcomers, the MG6 and the Geely Emgrand EC7, both of which achieved a four star rating, proving that at least some Chinese brands are starting to take safety seriously.

Michiel van Ratingen, Euro NCAP Secretary General commented: "These results mark a milestone for the Chinese automotive industry. It is a clear sign that Chinese car makers are building on recent experiences and rapidly investing in better vehicle safety. Even with the upcoming increased demands, five stars are expected to be within reach soon."

Four more vehicles that are new were given a four-star rating, including the Fiat Panda, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Jaguar XF and the EV Renault Fluence ZE.

We all like watching powerful cars drifting slideways and burning rubber and fortunately, we get plenty of that in the Chrysler Group's new SRT video starring the 2012MY SRT8 versions of the Chrysler 300, Jeep Grand Cherokee, Dodge Challenger and Charger.

But (there's always a but, isn't there?) while there's no doubt that the clip is visually stimulating, it completely misses the point when it comes to making our ears happy. Watch the video after the break and you'll see/hear what we mean.

Jeep is one of the two mainstream brands within the Fiat Group – Chrysler LLC alliance (the other one being Alfa Romeo) that are destined to play a major global role in the company's growth plans for the future.

To mark Jeep's renewed lineup in Italy, the automaker is launching a new TV campaign under the tagline "Don’t' adapt to conventions". The first spot is named "Never Adapt" and it will begin airing on Italian television channels on Sunday, October 9.

While future production plans for the Fiat-Chrysler alliance's Italian brands (Fiat , Alfa Romeo and Lancia) can change from one moment to the other for a variety of reasons, up until now, the American branch of the group has proved to be more reliable and on time when it comes to new projects.

At a recent investors presentation in Germany, the Fiat Group unveiled its product plans for Jeep, which the automaker considers as one of the two global brands in the alliance, the other one being Alfa Romeo.

Under the revitalization plan, which runs up until 2014, Jeep will expand its portfolio with a series of new models to cover all SUV/Crossover segments. The group's –admittedly ambitious- goal is to double Jeep's global sales from around 400,000 units in 2010 to about 800,000 vehicles in 2014.

Chrysler already a high-performance SUV in its arsenal, namely the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8 that comes fitted with a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 pushing out 465 HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque and which can complete the quarter mile sprint in the mid-13 seconds range.

But now, the Detroit carmaker it also considering giving the Durango the SRT8 treatment in 2013. This would be an easy task, since both models are based on the same platform.

For better or for worse, the 64th International Auto Show in Frankfurt hosted the world premiere of Maserati's second effort in the luxury SUV segment, the almost production ready Kubang.

For those of you wondering about the Italian firm's first stab at the popular category, that was the Kubang concept designed by Giorgetto Giugiaro and introduced at the 2003 Detroit Auto Show, never to be heard or seen after up until now.

While we are no strangers to offbeat incidents involving new cars and transporters, we'll admit that we've never seen anything like this – that is, if the video you're about to watch is original and has not been altered in any way as understandably, we can't be 100 per cent sure.

The clip appears to have been shot by someone standing on the top level of a double decker transporter train and it shows five allegedly brand new vehicles (all Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs, if we're not mistaken) shooting out of the deck at warp speed.

The surroundings suggest the train is located at a parking lot terminal. Follow the break to watch the video for yourself and tell us what you think in the comments area below.

Here at Carscoop we are no strangers to purportedly leaked images that turn out to be photoshops so unless we have solid evidence to back up its authenticity, we treat these photos with skepticism.

The above picture of a Maserati SUV appeared in a pocket book catalogue for the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show made by/for Automotive News Europe, and it was quickly picked up by many news sites.

However, aside from the fact that the crossover model depicted here has one too many common design features with the BMW X6, we're under the impression that the same photo (the one on your right hand) appeared in an Italian magazine – the August issue of Quattroruote if we're not mistaken (maybe our Italian readers can help us out here).

In Hall 6 of the Frankfurt Motor Show, a specially designed 760-square-meter area with multiple terrains will host Jeep’s new models for the 64th IAA. Chief among them is the fastest and most powerful model Jeep has ever produced: the Grand Cherokee SRT8 that will make its debut on European soil.

Powered by the Chrysler Group's new 6.4-liter Hemi V8 that produces 465HP and 630 Nm (465 lb-ft) of torque, the Grand Cherokee SRT8 can accelerate from standstill to 100 km/h (62mph) in 4.8 seconds and reach a top speed of 255 km/h (159 mph).

[The above photo is an independent rendering, not the actual Maserati SUV Concept]

Sources from within the company confirmed today that the Italian company will indeed launch a Jeep Grand Cherokee-based SUV concept at the Frankfurt Motor Show next month. What’s more, the same insiders said that the luxury SUV will be manufactured not at Modena, like all other sports cars bearing the trident badge, but at Chrysler’s Jefferson North plant in Detroit.