SRT Still Has a Future in the Midst of Uncertainty According to CEO
For muscle car enthusiasts, the advent of electric vehicles and hybrid technology can be bad news, and according to top automotive sites like MotorTrend and CarBuzz, Dodge’s SRT performance division has gone through significant changes recently with the restructuring of the SRT engineering team into the Stellantis Portfolio. Although the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) brand no longer exists as a stand-alone entity, it won’t be going away anytime soon because of its reputation for building performance-oriented vehicles that resonate deeply with car buyers. It’s unfortunate that there is no longer a core group of people dedicated to building cars that carry the SRT badge, but the good news is those same engineers will be retained and will continue to produce awe-inspiring vehicle performance but as part of Stellantis’ global engineering division.
Uncertainty around the SRT brand has been a topic of discussion among car enthusiasts and automotive insiders who have been on the fence about SRT’s future, but it is an organizational restructuring that doesn’t mean the end of SRT. In a statement to MotorTrend, the company said “SRT products have delighted enthusiasts for nearly two decades, and Stellantis will continue to sell and develop the next generation of Dodge/SRT-branded vehicles, as well as Jeep and Ram vehicles that utilize high-performance SRT technology.”
What Does SRT Mean for Dodge?
SRT stands for “Street and Racing Technology”, and is known for its high-performance vehicles that are built out of high-quality materials. Dodge vehicles that carry the SRT badge pack a serious punch as they are more performance-oriented than models that don’t carry the SRT name. Most car buyers opt for SRT branded vehicles to get a little extra kick out of their ride. When SRT began, it was about racing on the track and breaking world records on the dragstrip but since then, crossovers and off-roaders have taken the automotive industry by storm and have forced SRT to pivot on its strategy and look for ways to display its muscle. Just like Shelby is to the Ford Brand, SRT is the performance department for Dodge, but under the Stellantis Umbrella of brands, SRT will very likely branch out into other brand names that are not just Dodge-exclusive.
SRT Engineering Team Integrated into Stellantis
With the recent release of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, Ram’s flagship performance truck designed for rough terrain and extreme capability, we still see a little bit of SRT performance shine through. In addition, the new 2021 Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 will be hitting dealerships this Spring and will be equipped with a powerful 6.4 L HEMIⓇ V8 engine that will be capable of 470 hp, and can achieve a respectable 0-60 time of 4.5 seconds. This is encouraging news to hear as regiments of SRT performance are still present in performance-variant vehicles of Ram, Jeep, and even Dodge. Even though the original engineering team at SRT will now be integrated into the larger team of Stellantis and will operate under the company’s direction, the SRT name still continues its legacy in muscle car icons like the Challenger, Charger, and Durango.
Adapting to a New Era of Vehicles
It is without a doubt that EV and Hybrid technology will be a dominant trend in the future in the automotive industry, and Stellantis will very likely capitalize on the transition toward electric vehicles by taking an unconventional approach to muscle car performance by implementing SRT performance to electric engines. This sounds like a far-fetched idea at first, but this is a very likely possibility. This can be an exciting proposition for Dodge and other brands under Stellantis, because the road toward electrification can lead to the development of electric-performance vehicles in the future, instead of a burly V8 engine, powerful EV power plants will likely be the propulsion method for the muscle cars of the future. We can hope that Stellantis will keep the SRT spirit alive and the iconic American muscle car’s legacy intact for years to come.
What Car Buyers Need to Know
Unfortunately, corporate restructuring happens and when it does, many things change, and this can include changes to product offerings, services, and even replacing employees, and when change occurs, consumers notice. In today’s automotive industry, the meaning of “performance” is changing as well, and it also follows that SRT will be due for a change as well in the near future. For muscle car enthusiasts, this can be a worrisome situation, as the V8 combustion engines they have come to know and love are in potential danger of disappearing in favor of EV technology, but Stellantis can assure such a transition will be a favorable one.
For more information on current and new Dodge vehicles, contact us at Cape Coral Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram. You can also check our inventory of pre-owned and outgoing models.
Image Source: Dodge