Jeep is planning to unleash a high-performance SUV that will slot above the current SRT and, according to Jeep bossMike Manley, 2017 will be the year of the Hellcat!

Jeep’s new super-SUV has been confirmed for mid-2017 and at this stagewe know that it will be offered in the US with no indication of availability in South Africa. Nonetheless, we can only hope it does come here because the SRT model has proved highly popular in the local market and theHellcat-powered Grand Cherokee is being touted to become the world’s fasting accelerating SUV when it finally hits showroom floors. There’s still speculation that the model will be called the "Trackhawk" (clearly an adaptationof the Trailhawk moniker), a name Jeep trademarked back in 2014, but reports have confirmed that the model won’t carry the Hellcat moniker. Time will reveal all…

The Hellcat engine

Jeep will fit the supercharged 6.2-litre V8 engine used in the Dodge Challenger and Charger Hellcat. Power and torque outputs for the super-SUV are still unknown, but could potentially offer as much as 523 kW and 881 Nm. That’s significantly more power than the current range-topping Grand Cherokee SRT that offers 344 kW and 624 Nm of torque.

To put Jeep’s super-SUV in perspective with current high-performance offerings, a simple comparison in power and torque will give you an indication of what this Hellcat-powered Jeep could be capable of. Take a look…

If Jeep succeeds and if rumours turn out to be true, the new high-performance model could achieve 0-100 kph in well under 4 seconds, which will make it the fastest-accelerating SUV in the… universe.

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available. Stay tuned!

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*Note: The vehicle pictured is the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT