Jeep has been talking about a potential reborn Grand Wagoneer for some time, but so far nothing. Even Jeep dealerships are afraid the window of sales opportunity may have already passed. But Jeep still intends to launch a new flagship luxury SUV, and Road and Track has uncovered further proof thanks to a leaked document. According to this document, which came from German powertrain component company ZF, a 2018 production start date is stated for production and pre-production vehicles utilizing the ZF 8HP eight-speed automatic transmission.

The Jeep Grand Wagoneer is listed as one of those vehicles. And then it gets better. Also listed is another model, dubbed "Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk." The document says this now likely granddaddy of all Jeeps will come powered by a 6.2-liter V8 with 718 hp. For the record, the refreshed 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat (the Redeye has 797 hp) has 717 hp, so the former figure sounds legit. The specific transmission at issue, as Road and Track further points out, is codenamed ZF-8HP95X, indicating a high-torque version of the regular 8HP gearbox.

Furthermore, that very same high-torque eight-speed is used for the upcoming Rolls-Royce Cullinan. FCA denied knowledge of a Grand Wagoneer Trackhawk when contacted by Road and Track, but the leaked document facts speak for themselves.

However, it must be noted that the document was dated April and May of 2017, which could alternatively mean Jeep built a few Grand Wagoneer prototypes with the Hellcat V8 for testing purposes only.

Maybe it decided not to green light the project? Or, maybe it did. We just don't know yet. Jeep really ought to focus on getting the Grand Wagoneer itself to production first, then it can turn attention to the more niche Hellcat-powered version. But we really hope it'll become a reality. Wouldn't it be awesome to see a big Jeep take on the likes of the Cullinan and Bentley Bentayga?