Is Chrysler Planning A Hellcat Version Of The Jeep Grand Cherokee?

trackhawk01About a week ago, it was reported that Chrysler had applied at the US Patent and Trademark Office for protection for the Trackhawk name. This is not to be confused with the Trailhawk, which is the off-road version of the Cherokee and Renegade. Trackhawk, as the name would imply, would be a street version – good enough for the track.

trackhawk06We reported in May of this year about Chrysler’s five year plan, which stated that SRT – as a brand – would no longer exist and it would be folded back into Dodge. That left quite a few loyal fans disappointed, especially with the news that our friend Ralph Gilles would no longer be in charge of SRT. But keeping him as President and CEO of Chrysler’s Motorsports Division could be enough of a pacifier – for now.

This past summer and fall, we’ve seen lots of videos and articles about the Hellcat Hemi Challenger and Charger, and that attention alone has taken some of the spotlight away from Mopar’s two lone performance vehicles that carried the SRT8 badge: the Chrysler 300C and the Jeep Grand Cherokee.

trackhawk03Initially, Chrysler LLC stated that because the SRT version of the Grand Cherokee was their flagship, the SRT label would be retained. After some time, and quite possibly due to lots of customer feedback, it was determined that the 300C would also retain the SRT label, and that made loyal customers happy again.

Within SRT for Dodge, there’s the Challenger SRT 392 and the SRT Hellcat, and the Charger SRT Hellcat, and that leaves it open to interpretation as to what Chrysler plans for the 300C and the Grand Cherokee. This application for the Trackhawk name leaves speculation wide open, and leaves quite a few of us wondering if Jeep is going to get a Hellcat version to stay on par with Dodge – and that in turn will open up the debate about a 300C Hellcat. We know Mopar enthusiasts would love to see that happen for both the Grand Cherokee and the 300C.

The Trackhawk name doesn’t exactly spew subtlety: track, and hawk. Okay, so it’s not a cat, but if you take Chrysler’s recent obsession with horsepower and track visits, it can lead one to believe that we’re going to see something pretty awesome from the Jeep. But that also opens up the debate that the SRT badge may not end up on the Jeep, or the Chrysler, because we haven’t heard anything about SRT within these two lines.

Who wouldn't want to see that gauge cluster behind the wheel of a Grand Cherokee?

Could the Trackhawk be the SRT brand replacement for Jeep? It could very well be so, but we still haven’t heard from Chrysler about this. Looking at the SRT website, the model lineup for 2015 currently only carries the Dodge brand: the Viper, Challenger, and Charger models.

trackhawk07From our past experience, the performance version of the Jeep was a real crowd pleaser and a favorite amongst enthusiasts, so it would behoove Chrysler to continue that tradition and give the Jeep brand one helluva Grand Cherokee to continue their current horsepower trend.

Where does this leave the 300C? One can only hope that something is in the works for this car, as well, and a possible 300C Hellcat would round out the entire lineup and keep the competition on their toes. It may not be a 204 mph screamer like the Charger SRT Hellcat, but it would make for a very fast, very fun, family sedan. Only time will tell; would you like to see a Hellcat 300C and Grand Cherokee? Let us know in the comments section below.

300csrthellcat

Will there be an SRT 300C or not? That’s still up in the air, but a supercharged Hemi version of this very cool sedan would be a welcome addition to the Hellcat family.

About the author

Michael Harding

Michael is a Power Automedia contributor and automotive enthusiast who doesn’t discriminate. Although Mopar is in his blood, he loves any car that looks great and drives even faster.
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