The 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is priced from US$65,290 while the two-door Dodge Challenger version starts at $61,090 plus on-roads.
Neither car is what you would call a bargain, but with a mind-blowing 707hp and 650 pound-feet of torque in the old money (527kW and 880Nm) from a 6.2-litre supercharged V8, these tyre-frying twins have racked-up more than 9000 orders. That’s more than double expectations and that’s without any marketing besides a handful of Hellcat reviews from major motoring sites and publications.
Normally, that would be great news for Fiat Chrysler, but Dodge dealers have, to date, delivered just over 2200 cars.
The story gets worse.
Of the roughly 2300 Dodge dealers in the US, most will be able to accept no more than one Hellcat per month â€" or in some cases, no cars at all until production stock builds.
The Hellcat shortage is also causing quite a stir, with some dealers reportedly asking for non-refundable deposits of as much as $5000 to get their names in the order book.
Other dealers are apparently asking for sealed bids from prospective buyers, while some are listing Hellcats on auction sites such as eBay.
Citing other reports, there are several dealers asking for a price adjustment to the Hellcat’s price tag to reflect a profit of up to $25,000, which may or may not be strictly legal, according to Gualberto Ranieri, the head spokesperson for Fiat Chrysler.
Ranieri is believed to have reprimanded several dealers for what he described as unscrupulous practices concerning the sale of Hellcats.
Dodge brand boss, Tim Kuniskis, told Automotive News “there’s nothing going on that couldn’t be fixed with more Hellcats, and we’re working on thatâ€.
Click here to watch our epic video of the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat and read the review.
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