Sales of Chrysler’s Dodge division have been stagnant and particularly poor compared to those of parent company Chrysler. Dodge sales have been depressed by sales of its cars, while van and SUV activity has been good. Chrysler has to hope the buzz around its new 2015 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat will bring consumers into showrooms. Otherwise, Dodge will hurt Chrysler results for the rest of the year.

Dodge sales through the first seven months of the year were off by 3% to 350,042. Caravan and Durango sales kept it from being much worse. Sales of the Dart, Avenger, Challenger, and Charger were all down for the same period. Parent company Chrysler posted an improvement of 13% through July to 1,187, 790 units sales.

Almost no one will consider buying the Hellcat. It is too powerful for most drivers to handle. And it is expensive compared to most Dodge cars at an expected $63,000.

The car is almost too fast for anyone other than a professional racer:

With 707 horsepower, an NHRA-certified quarter mile elapsed time of 11.0 seconds on street tires and a top speed of 204 miles per hour, the world’s only four-door muscle car is the quickest, fastest and most powerful sedan ever

However, in addition to blinding speed the buyer will also get:

Whether its on-road or on-track, Charger SRT Hellcat owners can personalize their drive experience, via the all-new Drive Modes feature. Drive Modes tailor the driving experience by controlling horsepower, transmission shift speeds, paddle shifters, traction and suspension. Drive Modes are pre-configured for Sport, Track and Default settings, while the Custom setting lets the driver customize the drive experience to their favorite settings.

Custom — Allows the driver to personalize the vehicle’s performance
Sport — Delivers increased vehicle performance capability over the Default Mode
Track — Delivers maximum vehicle performance capability on smooth, dry surfaces
Default — Activates automatically when starting the vehicle
Eco — Maximizes fuel economy with a revised shift schedule, pedal map and second-gear starts

The Drive Modes feature is controlled through the Uconnect system and may be accessed by performing any of the following:

Pushing the SRT button on the instrument panel switch bank
Selecting “Drive Modes” from the “SRT & Apps” menu
Selecting “Drive Modes” from within the Performance Pages menu

Dodge won’t sell more than a few thousand of these cars, at most. To call the market for the vehicle a niche one is overstating the case. However, Dodge can hope that people who come to dealers to see the Charger SRT Hellcat will leave as owners of a less expensive car.

 

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