The Demon is coming - a scene from the teaser video announcing the new Dodge Demon.
For those who didn’t think the Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcat models, with their 707-horsepower hemi V-8s were powerful enough, salvation is coming – in the form of the new 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon set to make its debut at the New York International Auto Show three months from now.
The Demon name is a blast from the past. It was used for one of the old Chrysler Corp.’s classic ‘70s muscle cars, though back then it was based off the old two-door Dodge Dart. Dodge hinted it might want to resurrect the name with the debuting of a roadster concept, dubbed Dodge Demon, that made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 2007.
The new beast, it turns out, will be based off the same modern coupe as one of Fiat Chrysler’s current Hellcat models, the Dodge Challenger SRT. But it apparently has some devilish new tricks.
“Most cars attempt to be everything to everybody. Then there are the rare few that revel in a single objective, rendering them totally irresistible to a subculture,” said Tim Kuniskis, Head of Passenger Car Brands for FCA North America. “The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is conceived, designed and engineered for a subculture of enthusiasts who know that a tenth is a car and a half second is your reputation.”
Dodge will unleash its new Demon at the New York Auto Show in April.
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Dodge is keeping us in dark about specific details of the new Challenger Demon, but it is dropping some clues that you can find on a special microsite, www.ifyouknowyouknow.com, where it has launched the first in a series of videos, this one dubbed “Cage.” Expect to hear more in the coming weeks as we approach the New York launch.
“In the first video,” the maker notes, “the ferocious animated Hellcat is back. Refusing to be caged, the beast transforms, thus beginning a new chapter in the Dodge brand’s performance legacy.
But when thing the Fiat Chrysler performance brand is already hinting is that the Demon just might take performance up to the next level. Now, it’s true there are cars that have already broken through the 1,000 horsepower barrier, but Dodge has nothing to apologize for. The Challenger and Charger Hellcat models currently deliver a blistering 707 horsepower and 650 pound-feet of torque, more than any other factory-built muscle car in American history.
(Fiat Chrysler CEO Marchionne has big product news. Click Here for details.)
Dodge could use a little more muscle – at least on the marketing side – having reported a 4% sales decline last year. It doesn’t help that the brand lost its compact Dart model as parent FCA shifts its focus more and more to SUVs, crossovers and pickups.
A classic 1971 Dodge Dart Demon that was put on the block at the Barrett-Jackson Auction.
There had been some concern that FCA might abandon passenger cars entirely, but as a result of recent contract talks with Canadian auto workers, the maker confirmed it would continue producing its larger models – including the Dodge Charger and Challenger and Chrysler 300 – at a suburban Toronto plant through at least 2020.
Beyond that, FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne this week confirmed during a media roundtable at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit that those models will migrate to the same underlying modular architecture that was recently launched by Alfa Romeo. The Italian brand is using that platform for two new models: the Stelvio SUV and its Giulia sedan.
The current Hellcat models start around $65,000, and the Demon could push that number up a bit. We’ll be looking for more details in the weeks ahead.
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