The initial design development for the PowerTech V6 and V8 engine family was done by American Motors Corporation (AMC) and debuted in 1998 with credit to Chrysler. This was the first new V8 engine for Chrysler since the 1960s. The companion V6 was basically the V8 with two fewer cylinders, another concept that originated at AMC before the company joined Chrysler. These new engines had nothing in common with the Chrysler A engine V8s, nor the Jeep 4.0 L "PowerTech" I6 engine.

The Jeep Grand Cherokee is a range of mid-size SUVs produced by the American manufacturer Jeep. At its introduction, while most SUVs were still manufactured with body-on-frame construction, the Grand Cherokee has used a unibody chassis from the start.