Dodge Prices Hellcat at $63,995, but Will Anyone Buy One?

Cars and Drivers

Published: October 20, 2014 6:28 am

The new Dodge C SRT Hellcat Charger has been priced, and it will cost at least $63,995 to own. Will anyone actually buy one, or is it just a show car meant to bring potential customers into dealers?

The advantage of owning a Charger SRT Hellcat is its 707 horse power and blistering speed. However, it may take weeks of driving school instruction for a new owner to keep the car on the road. It has that in common with the Corvette Z51 Performance Package, which has a similar horsepower rating and a base price of $69,445, and it is likely to be nothing more than a magnet used by dealers. Dodge may have picked its price point to slightly undercut this competition. Most foreign car companies have adopted the practice of offering cars that a normal driver cannot handle. Among these is the Nissan GT-R, which has a base price of $101,070 and twin-turbo 545 engine — another car out of reach for most car drivers based on price, as well as above the skill level of almost any normal driver.

Automotive companies have a long-established habit of making a flagship car that is nothing more than aspirational. These create a greater share of media coverage than their sales could ever justify. However, the media cannot help themselves. The appeal of covering super-cars is too strong.

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As for the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, the company released full specs:

The world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan ever: all-new Charger SRT Hellcat features a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V-8 Hellcat engine, producing 707 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque and recently achieved an NHRA-certified 11.0-second quarter-mile time, is available with a starting U.S. MSRP of $63,995, including $1,700 gas guzzler tax.

Fortunately, for the driver who wants a Charger he can afford and actually drive without training, Dodge offers a version that sells for as little as $27,995 — probably $300 a month for those people who cannot pay cash. And its price is little different from that of a Volkswagen Golf GTI.

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