According to sources close to Motor Authority, FCA has greenlit “Project K,” which will put the 707 horsepower HEMI into a Grand Cherokee for 2017. Production mules are said to already be at work, cooking up staggering numbers like and under three-second 0-to-60 time and hitting 200 mph. The HEMI’s hefty output is sent to all four wheels by an eight-speed automatic, sources say.
As far as the name, we can only take guesses as to how it will be badged. Just tagging the name “Hellcat” at the end is the easiest way to go about it, but if that’s just reserved for the Dodge vehicles, it could be badged with something more Jeep-like. Cherokee’s more off-road offerings are labeled Trailhawk, so would this be the Trackhawk?
Some may wonder just what would be the point of having that much power shoved into a sport utility vehicle. Will it still retain its off-road ruggedness? Only time will tell, but we do know that the Grand Cherokee SRT and similar performance trucks like the Range Rover Sport show that there’s certainly a demand for a Hellcat-kitted SUV. Will it replace the SRT version altogether? Nothing is for sure, since we only have an unofficial source for any of this, but with this can of worms already open, it won’t be long until more info leaks out.
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