Despite experiencing a massive drop in auto sales for most of the year due to the coronavirus pandemic, Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler is pushing ahead with its planned production of additional performance vehicle models. Late last week, the company unveiled its new 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat SRT, which the company claims is the world's most powerful sports utility vehicle (SUV).
The introduction of the new high-performance SUV is part of Fiat Chrysler's portfolio overhaul, which will include the discontinuing of a Dodge minivan and crossover. The head of the company's North American passenger cars division, Tim Kuniskis, explained that it made sense for Fiat Chrysler to build the most powerful version of its most popular vehicles while at the same time getting rid of its less sellable models.
Fiat Chrysler announced that starting this year, the company will be halting the production of its Dodge Grand Caravan minivan and its Dodge Journey crossover. Both models were meant to be discontinued years ago, but the company chose to continue producing them as demand had remained relatively steady. However, having the two models will apparently no longer coincide with the company's plans for its Dodge brand.
Kuniskis added that the company is moving to transform Dodge into a full-fledged performance brand with offerings that will rival high-performance vehicles built by foreign manufacturers. Fiat Chrysler is expected to produce no more than 2,000 units of its special edition 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat. Production will reportedly start next year and the vehicle will only be sold within a 12-month period.
The powerful SUV is equipped with a tuned-up variant of the company's supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi Hellcat V8 engine. The powertrain provides the special edition-Durango with a power output of 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque. The new model is aimed at performance enthusiasts who want both the power of a muscle car and the convenience of an SUV.
Dodge's Hellcat designation is only reserved for its high-performance special edition models, which include its popular Dodge Challenger and Charger cars. The special edition models only account for a small percentage of the company's sales. However, the company is investing billions into the development of the products as the "halo" cars do bring it a lot of consumers to its overall brand.
Apart from the 2021 Dodge Durango Hellcat, Fiat Chrysler also unveiled special edition 2021 models of its Charger and Challenger vehicles. This includes the new 2021 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye, which sports an engine capable of 800 horsepower with a 0 to 60 time of 3.5 seconds.
