Jeep Finally Spills The Beans On When The Hellcat-Powered Trackhawk Will Debut

Any time Jeep execs gather in one place questions about the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, aka the Jeep with a Hellcat engine, are bound to be asked. Yes, even at the 2016 Los Angeles Auto Show where the all-new Compass was one of the stars of the show. The Detroit News had a chat with Jeep CEO Mike Manley during the show and learned that the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will debut at the 2017 New York Auto Show. As expected it won't displace the Grand Cherokee SRT.

Both V8-powered SUVs will stay in the lineup, although the Trackhawk will obviously have more limited availability. "I don't see any reason to stop our current Grand Cherokee SRT just because we've launched the Trackhawk, because they're going to be very different vehicles," Manley stated. Like the new Compass, the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk will be designed for a global(ish) audience. Certain markets in Asia and the Middle East will reportedly have access to the high-po SUV. However, Jeep is an American brand through and through, and as such Americans will get first dibs. "There is international demand for the vehicle, but the U.S. is going to get it first," Manley told The Detroit News.

Dealerships should have the Trackhawk by either September or October of next year. Manley's confidence in the ability for the Trackhawk and SRT Grand Cherokees to coexist is not misguided. Jeep sales are through the roof and its CEO expects to do two million units worldwide by 2018. The performance Grand Cherokees will make up a fraction of those sales but will be important attention drivers as the brand looks to build its profile in markets around the world.