Jeep Trackhawk range to expand beyond Grand Cherokee

The baddest Grand Cherokee ever will soon be getting some equally madhouse siblings, with Jeep to expand its go-fast Trackhawk range to include its smaller models.

And Jeep will also launch a new Deserthawk range by 2020; both of which will join the existing off-road-focused Trailhawk family.

Jeep boss Mike Manley outlined his five-year vision for the brand at FCA’s investor day at the company’s Balocco Proving Ground outside Turin, and a key prong in his strategy is the expansion of what he calls Jeep’s “Hawk family”.

“The Trailhawk models were quickly recognised as the most capable offerings in their respective segments,” Manley says. “We then followed them up with the second in our Hawk range, this time focussed on on-road capability, with the Trackhawk.

“It is clearly recognised as a different expression of capability. And over the coming five years, you can expect to see other Jeep models earn the right to carry the Trackhawk designation.

“But our intention was never to stop at two Hawks. We always had a third one in mind. This time it is focused on high-speed desert capability, in our all-new Deserthawk.”

But first, Trackhawk. While details remain thin on the ground, it’s obviously massively unlikely that the supercharged Hellcat engine used for the Grand Cherokee version would find a home in a smaller model.

The new Deserthawk models could be first to arrive, though, with a Cherokee version briefly un-veiled at the investor day.

But that is not the only V8 in the FCA stable, with the 6.4-litre engine from the Grand Cherokee SRT (and the Dodge Challenger SRT, for that matter), and the smaller 5.7-litre Hemi V8 that’s used in American Dodge products, on the books as well. 

Rumours abound that a go-fast Cherokee will be the first of the new Trackhawks, but that the badge could soon expand to cover the entire range.

The new Deserthawk models could be first to arrive, though, with a Cherokee version briefly un-veiled at the investor day. As with the 'Trail Rated' program for Trailhawk models, all Deserthawk vehicles will be measured against a set of eight unique criteria aimed at making them faster and more stable on sand, with suspension and underbody tweaking expected. 

The first, presumably the Cherokee, will appear by 2020 in the USA, but Australian launch timing is still unknown.

Will a Jeep high-performance Trackhawk range succeed? Tell us what you think in the comments.