Australian Buyers Are Lining Up for the Jeep Trackhawk

As the only Hellcat-powered vehicle Down Under, Australia could be the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk’s best market outside of the US.

The 2018 Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk is the quickest, fastest and most powerful sport utility vehicle in the world, leading American buyers to rush to their local dealerships to buy up the 707-horsepower beast. Even though the supercharged SUV starts at $87,000 and quickly climbs up over $100,000, early Trackhawk sales have been strong and the first owners have had nothing but great things to say about their super-SUV.

However, it isn’t just Americans who love the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, as CarAdvice reports that some 200 Australians have ordered the 707-horsepower SUV. In fact, all of the 62 Launch Edition Trackhawks headed Down Under sold out in just three weeks and that was before pricing was announced.

The Hellcat Comes to Australia

Australians love performance cars, particularly those models with American roots, but without the Dodge Challenger or Charger being offered in their local market, the only access to Hellcat-powered vehicles has been through grey-market importers. In addition to the added cost of importing the cars, the grey-market adds thousands more to convert them to the right-hand-drive configuration that is required of all new cars registered in Australia.

Fortunately, the Jeep Grand Cherokee is already offered in the Australian market with the necessary right-hand layout, so FCA was able to offer the Trackhawk in that market with relative ease.

Once it was confirmed that the Trackhawk would be offered in Australia, Mopar lovers Down Under were quick to line up for their chance to buy a Hellcat-powered vehicle at their local Jeep dealership. At long last, Aussies could buy a new vehicle with the supercharged Hemi without the headache of importing, and the early interest suggests that Australia could be the Trackhawk’s second-best market – trailing only the USA.

Strong Sales Down Under

In the grand scheme of things, 200 orders for the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk doesn’t seem like a big number compared to the thousands that will be sold in the US, but Australia has an interesting advantage over other markets. There is no type of fleet fuel economy requirement in that market (such as CAFE in the US), so FCA Australia can import as many Trackhawks as they can sell without any concern of penalities. When coupled with the high level of interest in American performance models, Aussies could account for the second-largest group of buyers aside from Americans, even with a starting price of $135,000.

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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