The 2021 Durango SRT Hellcat Will Be Limited
Dodge announced it’ll be making the recently-unveiled Hellcat-powered Durango SRT model for only six months. The automaker explained that it doesn’t have a plan to stop production after a certain predetermined number of SUVs. Instead, Dodge said it would be unable to extend the Durango SRT Hellcat’s life cycle due to upcoming regulations- and manufacturing-related hurdles. As suspected, this model is definitely a halo model — one-a-kind as the current-generation Durango takes a bow.
“The Durango SRT Hellcat is not limited, it’s not serialized like what we did with the Challenger SRT Demon, but we’re only building it for six months. With all of the changes we made in the plant to come back up to production post-COVID-19, with the sequencing and spacing in the plant, it’s changed the numbers we can build,” stated Tim Kuniskis, Head of Dodge, during an interview with Muscle Cars & Trucks.
Kuniskis also said that no one on the team has an idea of how many SUVs the manufacturer will be able to dole out from the Jefferson North Factory, on the outskirts of Detroit. Customer demand is the big factor that remains to be seen. When asked if he had an estimate, Kuniskis revealed to the publication that he doesn’t anticipate more than 2,000 total units will be made. All units produced will be 2021 models.
Some diehard enthusiasts believe that Dodge is more than capable of doubling that number by bringing back the trim for the 2022 model year, but changing emissions regulations loom large and are a likely deterrent for the automaker. These days, it’s not seen as feasible to drop a supercharged, 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine into an SUV. Dodge’s other performance vehicles, such as the Charger and Challenger models, are considered more obvious recipients of such a hefty power plant, but critics find it questionable under the hood of an SUV.
“When we switch to the 2022 model year, there are new evaporative emission requirements that come in that the Hellcat engine does not meet in that platform,” Kuniskis added, clearly showing that the automaker is well aware of the limitations in the future. Additionally, Kuniskis also mentioned that the Jefferson North Factory is undergoing an overhaul just in time for production of the next-generation 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee, thus the retooling will also play a part in this specific Durango’s manufacturing. The 2021 Jeep Grand Cherokee is rumored to tentatively debut at the end of the year (2020).
Dodge enthusiasts shouldn’t be alarmed by the Durango’s limitations in this case, as Kuniskis clarified that the Hellcat-powered Charger and Challenger models will continue to be manufactured for the foreseeable future. Additionally, no one should be worried about making the Charger and Challenger compliant with upcoming regulations — it is much easier due to the size of the vehicles. Kuniskis also mentioned that the standard Dodge Durango lineup will carry on “uninterrupted.”
Dodge is set to begin taking orders for the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat in the fall of 2020, with production scheduled to start in early 2021 and deliveries to follow. Dodge has yet to announce any pricing information, but experts estimate the base price to be in the vicinity of $90,000.
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Photo Source/Copyright: Dodge