Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk to debut in New York
World's most powerful SUV to break cover in April, and Jeep Australia wants itPowered by the same blown V8 engine as the completely batty Dodge Challenger Hellcat, the 527kW Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will break cover in April, at the 2017 New York motor show.
And Jeep Australia is keen as mustard to bring it Down Under.
Powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre V8 that belts out a face-slapping 707hp in the old money and 527kW/880Nm in the new, the Trackhawk's New York debut was confirmed to US website TFLCar.com by global Jeep boss Mike Manley in Texas this week.
"You're going to see it in New York," Manley said. "I'm going to bring it to New York [auto show]. I think it's going to be a loud show!"
The Jeep Trackhawk will share the limelight with another FCA weapon, the Dodge Demon, which takes the Hellcat engine to the next level, and could pump out 1000Nm.
Not long ago, only those with millions of dollars and an appointment with Bugatti could get 1000Nm right off the showroom floor, but perhaps not anymore.
It's not clear if the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be built in right-hand drive and suitable for the Aussie market, but it's highly likely this will be the case, given the "vanilla" 344kW Grand Cherokee SRT ($90,000) accounts for about 10 per cent of all Grand Cherokees sold in Australia, a higher-than-average percentage.
FCA Australia's chief executive, Steve Zanlunghi, was all smiles when asked about the scorching Trackhawk model during a press briefing about Jeep's new "There and Back Guarantee" five-year warranty, which beseeches owners to "give it another chance".
"We would have two hands up for it. That 707hp engine!" grinned Zanlunghi. He observed that it's "…the most powerful SUV ever built from the factory."
The company insists it would also be the third most powerful car in Australia, after the $800,000 Lamborghini Aventador S (544kW) and $690,000 Ferrari F12 (545kW).
We've previously confirmed the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be on sale in the USA by the end of 2017, and if Jeep Australia gets it way it could be on sale here in early 2018.
How much? Well, considering the Jeep SRT is priced at $90,000 the Trackhawk will likely become the company's most expensive SUV, pushing well into six figure territory.
In the meantime, Jeep will launch the new Compass small SUV in late 2017, after the facelifted 2017 Grand Cherokee arrives in April 2017.
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