It appears the rumors have been confirmed – Jeep->ke40 will produce the Hellcat-powered 2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. The news comes as an unnamed source confirmed several details to Motor Authority. That means the Grand Cherokee->ke936 will be the third recipient of FCA’s mighty 707-horsepower Hemi V-8.

The Trackhawk build is called Project K within FCA walls, and includes a few additional go-fast bits to make the Jeep worthy of the Hellcat badge. Leading the pack is the inclusion of AWD and the ZF eight-speed automatic transmission as standard equipment.

Performance numbers are said to be very competitive with the other Hellcats, thanks in large part to that all-wheel drive. The inside source says 0-to-60 mph times will fall under three seconds and the top speed with be a blistering 200 mph. Not too shabby for an SUV.->ke145

Sadly, there are quibbles about Jeep having to restrict torque output from the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi to keep the AWD system from exploding. Though unconfirmed, the rumor could prove true. Nevertheless, don’t expect anything less than 600 pound-feet if the cutback does indeed happen.

What’s more, the source says the current 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT will get a name change and a nice boost in power to accompany the Trackhawk introduction. Rumor has it the new SRT’s 6.4-liter Hemi will kick out 490 horsepower, up from 470 the horsepower of the current model.

Continue reading for the full story.

Why it matters

The industry has been abuzz about the Hellcat-powered Grand Cherokee ever since FCA announced the high-power supercharged 6.2-liter’s introduction into the Challenger->ke249 and Charger->ke218 last year. With this inside source saying Jeep will build the Trackhawk and it will include AWD, it’s hard not to get excited about the model making production. Move over, Cayenne.

The only question left: what else will FCA shoehorn the 707-horsepower V-8 into?

2016 Jeep Grand Cherokee Hellcat

You can read our speculative review here.