At the beginning of this month, Dodge hosted an all-out SRT assault with its three-pronged horsemen – the Challenger, Charger, and Durango. With a total of 2,314 horsepower coming out of these muscles, there's only one way to describe them: fast.
But there's one criticism that the company couldn't, err, dodge – that Dodge cars are only fast on straight-line races. Apparently, this is a conscious effort from the brand, at least according to Tim Kuniskis, head of FCA Passenger Cars.
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In an interview with Muscle Cars & Trucks, Kuniskis confirmed that Dodge vehicle variants are largely based on power, rather than what the cars can offer in terms of cabin appointments. He went on to say that focusing on just straight-line speed is what Dodge's customers want.
"What our customers want and the reason we went into the (drag racing) space is because seven times the amount of customers ‘identify’ with drag racing, compared to road course racing ... It doesn’t mean they’ve ever been to a drag strip in their life. And it’s not because they’ve even been in a fast car. It’s because they’ve all been at a stop light, and all tried to race their buddy next to them," Kuniskis said in the interview.
Kuniskis also explained why Dodge cars look relatively the same regardless of their price tags. Inclusivity is the key, and he wants people to be part of the Dodge family whether you bought a 30-grand Challenger or a 90-grand Redeye.
"I want you to mistake a $30,000 Challenger for a $90,000 Redeye… you don’t only have a Hemi 5.7, you have a Challenger. You are part of this team," Kuniskis added in his Muscle Cars & Trucks interview.
Yes, it's pretty deliberate, but that isn't entirely a bad thing. Depends on your level of thinking, really.
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