The Jeep Grand Cherokee Might Drive Itself Off-Road

A fleet of self-driving Jeep Grand-Cherokee vehicles are testing the limits of autonomous driving in Moab, Utah

In the jaw-clenching race to have the best self-driving technology, Stellantis decided to test autonomous technology off-road as opposed to on-road — something no other manufacturer has mastered. Using a fleet of specially fitted Jeep Grand Cherokees, Neda Cvijetic, Stellantis’ head of autonomous driving and artificial intelligence, is testing how far the Grand Cherokee can take itself. Anyone who’s been to Moab, Utah knows how difficult some of those trails are. While the exact trails used in testing aren’t mentioned, we can all assume they weren’t suitable for a non-4×4 vehicle.

“We are tackling challenges that are in some sense greater than what you experience in on-road autonomy,” said Cvijetic.

Stellantis is very tight lipped about the whole operation — only saying that the technology will only be available for Jeep. Therefore, the Ram 1500 TRX or any other of Stellantis’ off-road ready vehicles will have access to it. The technology is so new, it doesn’t have a name yet. Aside from a small lift, the Grand Cherokee test mule is completely stock. Cvijetic states that the factory sensors are being utilized, as well as an array of other sensors mounted to the roof. On the interior, the factory infotainment screen was swapped out for a much larger one that displays a whole lot more information.

So far, the Grand Cherokee is able to sense other vehicles on the trail, large obstacles (think boulders, large branches, etc.), and may be able to safely follow other vehicles.

When will we know more?

Jeep officials said that they’d talk more about their plans and tech specs this summer. Currently, with the testing being so fresh, no one really knows when (or if) the technology will go into full-scale production. Land Rover has been testing self-driving off-roaders for well over 10 years now without any luck — so Jeep definitely has some hurdles to get over (pun intended).

Kristen Finley

Before she was old enough to go to school, Kristen Finley spent a majority of her childhood rebuilding rusted Chevy Novas with her dad. Once high school and college came around, she was still actively rebuilding cars, though she found out she had a second greatest love: writing and photography.

Now, in her last year of college, she's pursuing a bachelor's in Journalism and Media Studies from California State University, Monterey Bay after receiving her AA in Communications. She has been writing for three years, and as her school newspaper's automotive expert, she started and solely maintained the weekly automotive section detailing posts on car care, safety tips, features, and news. She covers stories for Mustang Forums, Dodge Forum, JK-Forum and more.

Finley can be contacted at krisfin95@gmail.com

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