Dodge Industry News Cars

Shortly after we turned the calendar to 2021, Dodge CEO, Tim Kuniskus did his best to prepare us for the inevitable death of Dodge’s supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8. The good news from that was that report was that Dodge wouldn’t abandon the muscle car, but now we know – if reports from Motor Authority are accurate – the exact model year that Dodge will kill off Hellcat production. I’ll give you a hint: It’s not far away.

The days of Dodge’s supercharged, 6.2-liter V-8 engine are numbered, says company CEO Tim Kuniskis, who predicts that the infamous Hellcat models won’t be around for long. But while V-8 power is slowly dying due to tightening fuel economy requirements, muscle cars won’t disappear altogether. Kuniskis predicts that electrification will bring a new "golden age of muscle cars" upon us.

When Dodge launched the Durango’s 710-horsepower alter-ego, it took the auto world by storm. The automaker made it clear that it would be a limited-run model and production for the same would last for just six months. But, thanks to the crazy demand for this three-row monster, Dodge has decided to extend the production timeframe before taking the model off the assembly lines in June 2021, according to Mopar Insiders.

FCA’s crate engine lineup is steadily growing with the addition of some tasteful mills. The group’s parts and accessories division, Mopar, unveiled the most powerful version of the Hellcat engine that can be plonked into any vehicle of your choice.

Dubbed as the Hellcrate Redeye crate engine, this 6.2-liter V-8 mill will dish out 807 ponies and 717 pound-feet of torque. Could it BE any better? (high five if you read that in Chandler Bing’s voice!)

After various spy shots and a [teaser in February 2020 that hinted at a Durango Hellcat, we kind of knew that it was coming. But, Dodge did kind of dropped it on us out of nowhere,, and it was pretty damn impressive. A Durango with a supercharged, 6.2-liter, V-8 that delivers 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque wasn’t necessarily what we needed, but it damn sure was what we wanted. It can even get to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds and tops out at 180 mph – performance figures that were once limited to high-end sports cars and supercars not that long ago. Things were looking good, but now it seems that it might be a little harder to get a Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat that previously thought, thanks to a short production run.

FCA announced that Dodge will end production of the Grand Caravan after the 2020 model year. The iconic minivan traces its roots back to 1983 when the Caravan made its debut and started the whole minivan craze in the United States. The Grand Caravan goes into the history books as the best-selling minivan in the U.S., with almost 123,000 units sold in 2019. The decision, which seems a bit weird, comes as Dodge decided to focus on performance models.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon has gone back to hell with no signs of ever returning. That’s the word coming out of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles head of passenger cars Tim Kuniskis, who unequivocally said Dodge has no plans of exceeding the 3,300-unit cap it placed on the Challenger Demon. There are no plans to bring it back. Not today. Not tomorrow. So, you’re out of luck if you’re hoping to see Dodge produce more Challenger SRT Demons. Then again, there’s always the second hand market, though if you take this route, you need to prepare to shell out at least $100,000. That’s the going rate for used Challenger SRT Demons these days. Is it a steep price to pay for the most powerful production Challenger of all time? Perhaps it depends on how bad you want one.

With Christmas around the corner, the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye is the latest car to get a sleigh makeover. Introduced as part of Dodge’s “Big Finish” campaign, the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Sleigh stars in a new commercial called “Upgrade” alongside retired WWE wrestler Bill Goldberg, who happens to play a pretty jacked-up Santa Claus. With muscles coming out of his ears, Santa decides to keep with the profile this holiday season by commissioning his elves to make improvements to his current sleigh. The result, as you can see, is a sleigh that’s going to make a lot of pony car enthusiasts wish they had the means to do the same thing.

A new advertisement for the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon claims that it’s the world’s fastest 0-100-mph production car, at least when you take out “non-mass production vehicles” and “hybrid/electric” vehicles out of the equation. The self-aware advertisement is hilarious on so many levels, not the least of which is Dodge admitting that the Challenger SRT Demon isn’t faster than the Tesla Model S.

Sergio Marchionne claims that reviving the Dodge Viper is “not in the plan” because it didn’t sell enough but he would be happy if FCA could find a way to get it done.

A little over a year after it took the whole auto world by storm, the reign of the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is about to come to an end. Production of the 840-horsepower muscle car is over after Fiat Chrysler Automobiles built the final production model of the Challenger SRT Demon. All told, Dodge built 3,300 units of the Challenger SRT Demon, including the final production model that will be offered as part of the “Ultimate Last Chance” package that Dodge and Barrett-Jackson will offer at an auction next month.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon may be called as such, but you might as well throw “unicorn” in its name because contrary to prevalent rumors surfacing these days, Dodge has no plans to follow up the 2018 Demon with a 2019 version. Don’t even bother wishing upon any stars or hoping for leprechauns at the end of the rainbow; it’s not happening. The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is a one-year model. No more, no less.

Like most things in this world, I’m well aware that even the finest of them have expiration dates. We don’t know when or where their time will come, but it will happen. This is especially true in a business like the auto industry that evolves as fast as it does. Today’s great cars become tomorrow’s relics and the cycle goes on and on. Still, it doesn’t make saying goodbye any easier, which is exactly what we’re about to do to the Dodge Viper, considered as one of America’s most popular and iconic models.

The Viper has had an interesting run. It sprung to life back in 1992, slithering its way into the hearts and minds of sports car aficionados the world over. I was eight years old at that time, and while my recollection of the Viper’s debut is hazy to say the least, I do remember seeing it across a wide spectrum of mediums, be it in magazines, TV, and of course, toys. Back then, I wasn’t interested in how much power it had, what it could do on a race track, or how it lined up against its rivals. All I cared about was its name. The “Viper” name struck me because it was cool beyond the words. It came at that time when I was hooked to G.I. Joe and remember thinking to myself that if Cobra Commander had a car, it would be the Viper, name symmetry notwithstanding. It was just the perfect sports car for the perfect villain. It was mean, menacing, and most of all, it oozed bravado and attitude the likes of which I hadn’t seen from any American car at that time. Simply put, the Viper was the bad boy of the U.S. auto scene, a status that it has proudly worn for the better part of its existence.

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Formed in 2014, the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) alliance has been doing very good these past three years, which is why Sergio Marchionne is on the lookout to either sell the company or make another merger with a big brand. FCA was refused by General Motors back in 2015 and Marchionne’s attempts to find a new collaboration have been unsuccessful so far. However, it seems that FCA is actually on the brink of finding a new owner. According to new reports, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has received at least one offer in August from a "well-known Chinese automaker."

That’s the word from Automotive News, which claims that the over was slightly higher than FCA’s current market value, but the Italian-American alliance rejected it for not being enough. There’s no detailed information as to what Chinese automaker made the offer, but speculation has it that FCA is negotiating with more than one company. Also, a source close to FCA said that company executives have traveled to China to meet with Great Wall Motor Co., while different sources claim talks with Dongfeng Motor Corp., Zhejiang Geely, and Guangzhou Automobile Group.

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The Dodge Challenger Demon is quick. Apparently, it’s so quick that the National Hot Rod Association actually banned it because it’s capable of hitting the quarter mile in just 9.65 seconds, well below the 9.99-second threshold that the association allows without serious safety modifications. It’s a disappointing handcuff for Challenger Demon owners, but fortunately, John Hennessey has saved the day by telling Fiat Chrysler that Hennessey’s home track, Lonestar Motorsports Park, would accommodate the Challenger Demon without any restrictions to the car.

Hennessey made his offer clear to FCA’s head of passenger cars, Tim Kuniskis, in a letter addressing the issue with the NHRA. In the letter, Hennessey said that the Lonestar track would allow owners of the Challenger Demon to “run their vehicles down the quarter-mile drag strip without a roll cage and/or parachute. All Hennessey requires is that owners attend a one-day drag racing school to become familiar with car itself and the layout of the track. The noted tuner and car manufacturer’s offer is a lot more lenient than the NHRA, which requires owners of the 700-horsepower muscle car to equip their cars with safety equipment on top of getting an actual competition license before they can bring their Demons to any one of its quarter-mile drag strips.

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After 25 years of redefining the American sports car landscape, the Dodge Viper has about six weeks left to live before Fiat Chrysler Automobiles pulls the plug on the famed sports car. FCA made it official (again) by sending a notice to the state of Detroit, confirming its plans to close down the Conner Avenue Assembly Plant where the last of the Vipers are being built.

While this isn’t exactly breaking news – FCA confirmed the August 31 funeral for the Viper back in February – the automaker’s latest notice does provide a cold dose of reality to the inevitable that a lot of us hoped would never come to pass. The Dodge Viper is set to be killed off and there appears to be no turning back. The good news is that according to FCA spokesman Jodi Tinson, the Viper’s production facility has a future part of the company’s plans. The scope of those plans have yet to be announced, but it’s reassuring to know the factory will still have some life to it, even if the same can’t be said for the Viper. Oh, well. All good thing must come to an end, it seems. It’s had a good 25-year run, minus the two years it was shelved from 2010 to 2012. Weak sales may have contributed to the sports car’s demise, but its legacy will remain intact long after the final model is sent out of production. It’s been a good ride, Dodge Viper.

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Suppose you already have a reservation for the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon and you’re just waiting for that precious call from your local Dodge dealer. It’s hard not to get excited about getting your hands on one of the most anticipated muscle cars to be released in recent history. Exciting times, isn’t it? Well, before you get a little too excited about the possibilities, Dodge is dousing that excitement with a three-page Demon Disclosure Form that you’ll have to abide by before you can bring your Challenger Demons home.

The document, acquired by Jalopnik, is essentially a “terms and conditions” waiver that Dodge wants every Challenger Demon buyer to sign, effectively waiving their rights to sue in the event they don’t follow any of the conditions laid out by the automaker. Among the important points that Dodge indicated in the form pertains to passenger seats. Specifically, the form says that “if the vehicle is not factory equipped with a passenger seat, customer shall never attempt to install a passenger seat because the passenger will not be properly protected." Another important reminder included in the form is a warning for owners never to use “any “Track-Use” features, functions, equipment or parts on public roads or any other prohibited area.”There are a lot more conditions laid out in the form, and almost all of which were put in to lay out the simple fact that the Challenger SRT is effectively a street-legal drag car and owners should use it with utmost care and caution.

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As Honda deals with the growing discontent among its consumer base on the aggressive mark-ups dealerships are putting on the Honda Civic Type R, Dodge is determined not to irate its consumers by instituting a unique dealership ordering process for the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon. The process itself was designed to prevent the experience prospective Civic Type R customers are going through as they see the prices of the hot hatch skyrocket to almost double Honda’s own asking price.

A big part of Dodge’s allocation plan for the Challenger Demon is to place priority on dealerships willing to sell at or below the automaker’s suggested retail price. Specifically, these dealerships stand to get priority scheduling and receive lower serial-numbered cars as opposed to those who are putting mark-ups on the price of the highly sought-after muscle car. On top of that, dealerships who have sold more than one SRT Hellcat in the last 12 months are the only ones who are eligible to receive a Challenger Demon. And to make it in even more difficult for these dealers, those who meet the previous requirement will be allocated a certain number of models depending on how their sales performance for the Charger, Challenger, and SRT Hellcats are. As for those dealerships planning to sell the SRT Demon above the automaker’s MSRP, they’ll get theirs “after priority production is completed.”

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The Dodge Demon has the performance credentials to give any self-respecting man with a need for speed a sizable stiffy, but should a line be drawn that prevents cars above a certain level of performance to be registered for on-road use? One of Dodge’s big selling points – outside of 808 ponies, 717 pound-feet of torque, and a 2.3-second sprint to 60 mph – is that the Demon can be tracked in the morning and then driven home that night because it meets all U.S. safety standards for a road-going vehicle. In other words, you don’t need a trailer queen to dominate the track. For most of us, that’s a favorable idea, but at least one bozo over at Automotive News (who has, of course, remained anonymous) has the bright idea that the Demon should be banned from public roads.

That’s right; we’re Americans – we live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. Unless, someone has an unfavorable opinion about something, and then that thing should be banned. It’s an on-going fight that has put things like guns, trans fats, McDonald’s happy meal toys, and even bottled water, among a long list of other liberal-hated items, in the cross-hairs for potential banning in this country of ours that is “free.” So, what is the argument Mr. or Ms. Annonymous over at Automotive News has against the Dodge Demon? It is apparently “inherently dangerous to the common safety of motorists as a road-worthy automobile” due to its “barely legal slick tires” and “monstrous acceleration.” He (or she, to be fair) says the car is a “sequence of misguided corporate choices that places bragging rights ahead of public safety.”

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With the seemingly endless parade of teaser videos and pictures that Dodge is churning out to whet our appetites for the upcoming Challenger SRT Demon, there’s certainly been no shortage of speculation as to what will be offered under the hood. Most folks believe this drag monster will come equipped with the same blown 6.2-liter V-8 as the Challenger Hellcat, albeit with a bit more output than the 707 horsepower provided by the bad cat. However, no one expected this – electric motors and a battery pack.

The startling revelation comes courtesy of insider sources citing an internal memo between Dodge and SRT that looks to “explore alternative power sources” in the ongoing quest for ever-faster performance machines. One company official, who asked to remain anonymous, said the Tesla Model S was considered a serious threat to the Demon’s intended domination at the drag strip, and as such, Dodge would offer an even-faster Demon EV to counter.

While electric performance enthusiasts are thrilled at the prospect, traditionalists are appalled. “I want my car to sound like it’s a volcano erupting, with explosions and fire – not an overactive blender,” said one elderly racer upon hearing the news.

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Rumor has it Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is killing off the venerable and well-respected 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 sometime after the 2018 model year. The word comes from Allpar, a news source dedicated to Mopar and FCA news with close ties and inside sources inside the automaker. Allpar says several of its sources agree the 5.7-liter Hemi is slated to leave production next year.

As a reminder, the 5.7-liter Hemi is used in everything from the Dodge Challenger and Charger, and the Chrysler 300 to larger vehicles like the Ram 1500, Jeep Grand Cherokee, and Dodge Durango. The engine relies on tried-and-true technology like a cam-in-block design with overhead valves with variable timing. It even has cylinder deactivation for fuel savings.

The rumor further details FCA’s ramp in Hemi production to create a stockpile before assembly is forever closed. But why would FCA discontinue one of its most popular and widely uses engines?

The first and most obvious answer would be the introduction of a new V-8. This new engine could have far more modern technology like dual overhead cams, forced induction, a variable pressure oil pump, direct fuel injection and a smaller displacement. FCA might even include its MultiAir valvetrain technology for more control of the intake valves.

Though a turbocharger and dual overhead cams would require more room under the hood, both would help improve efficiency while giving the engine more power. The current 5.7-liter is rated at 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque in the Ram 1500 pickup. Other Hemi-powered vehicles have tunes tailored to their needs.

Currently Ford holds top honors for technological wizardry with its second-generation 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6. It pumps out an impressive 375 horsepower and 470 pound-feet of torque thanks to a twin-turbocharger setup, yet still, achieves nearly 26 mpg on the highway. Ram would be smart to benchmark the EcoBoost.

The second theory, and one far less attractive to V-8 fans, would be the introduction of an EcoBoost-like turbocharged V-6. Ford has had major success with the EcoBoost and FCA might be following that lead. However, it’s hard to imagine FCA – a company devoted to displacement and horsepower – dumping the V-8 for something less iconic.

It’s worth noting the rumors also say the 6.4-liter and supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V-8 will continue production.

Either way, FCA should reveal its plans within the next year or so. The Ram pickups are scheduled for a full generational change for the 2019 model year, so it’s highly likely we’ll see any powertrain updates coordinate with a mid-2018 launch.

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And so it is, the end of the Dodge Viper now has an official date. For years, rumors and speculation surrounding the Viper’s fate has been one of the most talked-about items in the auto industry and while we’ve known for quite a while now that Dodge was in fact sending the Viper to retirement, we didn’t receive an official date until Fiat Chrysler Automobiles design chief and former SRT CEO Ralph Gilles finally made the announcement at the Chicago Auto Show. The Dodge Viper, after a polarizing run in the industry spanning 25 years, will no longer be built on August 31, 2017.

Check your calendars, ladies and gentlemen. That’s a little over six months away until we officially say goodbye to the iconic sports car. For those who need a refresher, the Viper burst into American automotive consciousness in 1992 before becoming an unwitting victim of Chrysler’s bankruptcy that led to the car taking a temporary hiatus. It came back in 2013, but it was never the same as slow sales and evolving consumer preferences turned the Viper into an expendable model.

FCA ultimately decided in 2015 to retire the Viper this year and with Gilles’ comments in Chicago, the cast for the brash and brutish sports car’s tombstone is now being created.

It’s a sad end for the model many believed to be America’s last true sports car. For a time, the Viper was a force of sports car personality that epitomized the rawness and unbridled thrill of sports car driving. It was never the best-looking sports car, nor was it the fastest and most powerful. But it did have all three qualities in spades and unlike most of today’s refined and tech-driven performance car’s the Viper’s reputation for being difficult to tame spoke to the thrill of actually being able to drive the sports car up to its full potential.

It’s been a great run for the Dodge Viper and the car will undoubtedly be missed by the industry. But like everything else, every story has an opening and closing chapter, and the Viper’s closing chapter will come to a conclusion on August 31.

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