Manoli Katakis 
The 2022 Chicago Auto Show has come and gone, and while the show is normally a snoozer, there was a lot fresh new product that many automotive media got to see for the first time. This included everything from the Chevrolet Silverado EV to the Ford Bronco Raptor, as well as big debuts from last year such as the 2023 Corvette Z06, GMC Sierra AT4X and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trailhawk 4xe. Stellantis even brought some executives, such as Jim Morrison, the current North American chief of Jeep. Often a great interview, Morrison hinted (but stopped short of confirming) to Autoblog that the anticipated Tornado inline-six turbo engine (aka the GME-T6) is set to debut at the 2022 New York Auto Show this spring.
Stellantis Tornado GME-T6 Engine: Details
The Tornado engine is the automaker’s worst-kept secret, with even official Stellantis web pages listing that the turbo six has begun assembly in the Saltillo, Mexico manufacturing complex. This follows the discovery of patent drawings, while some reports allege that it will phase out the Hemi V8 engine in multiple applications.
While there’s speculation that the Tornado engine would find itself into the opulently full-sized Jeep Wagoneer and/or Grand Wagoneer, being that it’s built alongside the Ram 1500 in Warren Truck doesn’t seem like the tooling and manufacturing cadence has things going in that direction. Instead, what’s most likely is that this twin-turbo straight six will debut in a performance variant of the WL Jeep Grand Cherokee. Whether or not it would be the next-gen Grand Cherokee SRT is unclear at this time, but that could mean that the beloved 6.4L Hemi V8 engine (aka the 392) would be exchanged for two less cylinders and a pair of turbos, and perhaps electrification assistance, as well. This setup could rival the 700+ hp output of the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk, as rumored, but we’ll have to do some digging to find out for sure.
This transition from NA V8 to TT I6 likely has more to do with the regulatory side of things than the market demand side of things, as it’s rare to come across a performance customer who doesn’t love the howl and power curve of a 392 Hemi.
