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2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon First Drive | Don’t fear the Demon

"If you're not hurt, we'll be really pissed. If you are hurt, we'll still be pissed, but not quite as pissed." These are the words from Jim Wilder, the vehicle development manager of the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, that echo through our head as we slide behind the wheel of the car for the first time. He was warning us about driving beyond our abilities, and keeping the car out of the wall. With 840 horsepower and 770 pound-feet of torque on tap from its supercharged, 6.7-liter V8, the Demon does 0-60 miles per hour in 2.3 seconds, and 0-30 mph in a second flat. If something does go wrong, it'll happen quickly. Following that talk, we had our guts sloshed as a passenger in a blurry eighth-mile run, giving us a taste of the G forces (the Demon can pull 1.8 G in a straight line) we'd feel when we got in the driver's seat for our own pass down the drag strip. We're already sweating. It had rained - you could describe it as torrential - the day before. The grassy parking areas surrounding Lucas Oil Raceway were still flooded, but any water on the pavement had evaporated and hung in the air. Combined with the heat, we were sticky and uncomfortable. In Drag Mode, the Dodge Demon's air conditioning turns off. Any condensation that it could leave on the track would be a problem, plus we need to reduce parasitic power losses for a faster run. The system is still working, though, the refrigerant diverted to the chiller system cooling the air coming into the engine. There's still condensation, but the Demon collects it on a catch pad to keep it from ending up on the pavement. We're also required to roll the windows up when entering the drag strip. For one thing, it helps keep the smoke out of the cabin during the pre-staging burnout. So, yeah, it's hot as Hell in the Demon. We pull through the water box and run through the sequence – which involves holding the "OK" button on the steering wheel usually used to navigate menus, and applying a specific amount of brake pressure before getting on the throttle to initiate the burnout. This gets any crud off the rear tires and heats up the rubber. There are multiple ways to launch the Demon. We had an instructor sitting in the passenger seat as we pulled up to the beams that trigger the Christmas tree at Lucas Oil Raceway. He walks us through the most complicated of the three he had explained to us just minutes before when we were in the passenger seat.

Detroit Three automakers and UAW will continue to require masks

GM CEO Mary Barra at a Warren, Mich., training center in September. (Reuters)   WASHINGTON — Detroit's Big Three automakers and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union said on Wednesday that workers will continue to be required to wear masks in workplaces. The joint statement from the UAW and General Motors, Ford and Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV said it was continuing the requirements "out of an abundance of caution." The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in May that fully vaccinated people do not need to wear masks in most instances, including at work. The UAW and the automakers said temperature screening upon entering facilities is expected to be phased out. The UAW and automakers continue to recommend autoworkers get vaccinated. Many U.S. employers are still requiring vaccinated workers to wear masks in workplaces. Volkswagen AG's U.S. unit said it will "no longer require masks for fully vaccinated employees after June 21, and will continue to follow CDC guidelines." Toyota is among the automakers that has ended temperature checks and entry questionnaires at U.S. plants but it is continuing to require facial coverings. Honda and Nissan said they had made no changes to their U.S. employee COVID-19 requirements.   Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Dodge Ford GM Jeep RAM Safety coronavirus

Dodge debuts 2020 Durango SRT Black appearance package

Dodge is going back to the well with yet another round of aesthetic options for the 2020 Durango SUV, focusing yet again on the high-performance SRT model with a new Black package and optional "Redline" stripes.  Like most of FCA's dress-up packages, these are geared toward the sporty crowd. The SRT Black package adds lots of black and dark gray elements, including gray SRT badges on the grille and fenders, gloss black mirror caps, 20-inch matte gray wheels, blacked-out exhaust tips, a satin black "Dodge" logo on the tailgate, and gray "Durango" and "SRT" tailgate badges.  If you want a little color variety, you can swap out the gray alloys for the existing Brass Monkey accessory wheels at no cost. You can also add the Redline stripe package (shown here), which adds matte black full-length stripes with red accent pin-striping on the outer edges.   And while the package may be called the SRT Black, it's actually available in 10 colors: Billet Silver, DB Black, Destroyer Grey, F8 Green, Granite Crystal, Octane Red, Reactor Blue, Redline, White Knuckle and Vice White. Plenty of cars aren't even available in 10 finishes.  The SRT Black package offers a treatment similar to that of the Blacktop package, which is available on lower trims; Black and Redline are both exclusive to the range-topping SRT model.  The Durango SRT Black will run you $1,495; Redline is an extra $1,295. These packages will make their public debuts at the Chicago Auto Show next week alongside some other goodies from FCA. Stay tuned.  Related Video: