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The Dodge Challenger plays its trump card: all-wheel drive

Perennially stuck in third place behind the Ford Mustang and Chevy Camaro in sales and enthusiast comparisons, the Dodge Challenger is doing something unconventional for a muscle couple. It's adding all-wheel drive. It's a new feature for Detroit's pony cars – none of the three have ever had it – and it could be a game-changer. Called the Challenger GT, the Dodge launches this winter for a starting price of $34,490. The Challenger GT comes with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 rated at 305 horsepower and 268 pound-feet of torque. It teams with an eight-speed TorqueFlight automatic transmission and is estimated to get 18 miles per gallon in the city and 27 mpg on the highway. An FCA spokesperson said no manual transmission or V8 models will be offered on the all-wheel-drive Challenger. It will be on display in January at the Detroit auto show. View 8 Photos All-wheel drive is a widely expected addition for the Challenger. The coupe shares underpinnings with the four-door Charger, which offers an all-wheel drive variant and the cars have similar powertrain offerings (the AWD Charger is also V6 and automatic only). Naturally, the Challenger borrows the Charger's AWD system and during regular driving conditions, the front axle disengages and full torque goes to the back wheels, allowing the Challenger to function as a rear-wheel drive car. It automatically goes back to AWD when more traction is needed. Handling is also fortified with a vehicle dynamic control system. Conversely, the electronic stability control has three modes and can be switched off for drift-happy enthusiasts. The GT has features familiar to other Challenger and Dodge owners, including an 8.4-inch touchscreen radio, Performance Pages (accessible through the Super Trak Pack button), and paddle shifters. A Sport Mode changes shift points to improve acceleration. It all rolls on 19-inch wheels wrapped in all-season rubber. The exterior gets a hood bulge, LED head- and taillights, and a decklid spoiler. The Challenger GT also offers a $995-interior package different than RWD models, adding Nappa leather, Alcantara suede seats, a nine-speaker Alpine audio system, performance steering wheel, and more. All of that is just window dressing. It's all-wheel drive that could be a difference-maker for consumers. The Challenger won't likely be able to take down the Mustang, which will finish 2016 as the pony car sales king.

Follow along for the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon live reveal

Updates: Live Demon premiere in Times Square and a viewing party on Woodward Ave. here in Detroit. The first Hellcat sold for about $800k at a Barrett-Jackson auction. New Pennzoil video with the last Dodge Viper premiering tomorrow. "Making the suits nervous is how we know we're on the right track." No love for accountants. "A modern day version of the Ramchargers." "The harder car companies work to take the driver out of the equation, the harder we work to keep them in." "We want to impress the NHRA more than the PTA." "It would have been easy to take a Hellcat and make it a bit faster." SRT says tuners have it all wrong. This is the way to build a performance drag car. Every Demon comes with a leather-bound manual that shows how to properly set up the car for tracks. 2.3 seconds to 60 mph 9.65 second 1/4 mile 840 horsepower This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Original Post: The 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon is coming tonight, and we'll be bringing you live coverage and updates from New York. There have been months of teasers, trailers, and hints, but some of the big questions have yet to be answered. Dodge is showing the reveal live on the Demon's promo site, ifyouknowyouknow.com. Watch the stream and follow along here for the latest Demon info. The hype started back in January with the first video, "Cage." At the time, all we knew was that the Demon was going to be a hopped-up version of the already juiced up Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. After that, we learned that the Demon would be significantly lighter thanks to optional - yes, optional - passenger and rear seats. In addition to the seats, the Demon comes with lightweight wheels wrapped in sticky 315/40R18 Nitto drag radials at all four corners. Dodge showed off the Demon's crate of goodies, but it was a few more weeks before we learned what was inside. The Demon comes with a jack, an electric impact wrench, torque wrench, and a tire pressure gauge. The kit will be used to swap skinny front tires for use on a drag strip. As cool as those 315 section tires look up front, they hurt far more than they help on a drag strip.

Burglars target Detroit-area dealership, steal Hellcat from showroom floor

A crew of Detroit car thieves seriously upped their game this week after stealing a Hellcat Challenger straight off the showroom floor. According to CBS Detroit, at around 1:00 am on January 24, a crew of burglars hit the Snethkamp Ram City dealership in Highland Park, MI. In full view of surveillance cameras, the burglars smashed a large glass door that led to the showroom floor and within seconds made off with a $75,000 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. First they pushed the car through the broken door and out on to Woodward where a van was waiting. The van then pushed the car to a waiting tow truck and, just like that, the car and the crooks were gone. "It looks like they had about a minute and 30 seconds to open the door and push the car out, and then we see another car pushing it away," owner Mark Snethkamp told WWJ. "We've got some really good video and I'm shocked that the Highland Park police didn't catch them because they were here very shortly right after them." Snethkamp also told WWJ that they haven't had a break-in at the dealership like this since the 90s. Both the car and the suspect remain at large, and the Detroit Police Department are encouraging anyone with information to call either DPD or the Help Eliminate Auto Thefts (HEAT) tip line. VIDEO-2: Not gone in :60 but :90. Thieves still a $75,000 @DodgeHellcat off the showroom floor in #HighlandPark. @WWJ950 @CBSDetroit pic.twitter.com/8FvDkgboJ5 — Vickie Thomas (@VickiethomasWWJ) January 24, 2017 News Source: CBS Detroit Auto News Dodge Coupe Performance Detroit thieves challenger burglary