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Some dealers asking $100,000-plus for Daytona-edition Dodge Charger SRT Hellcats

If you thought the name of the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition was a lot to swallow, then you're definitely going to choke on what some dealers are asking for the privilege of owning one. The $4,495 package is commanding as much as $25,000 in "market adjustments" from stores looking to capitalize on the rarity of this extremely limited-edition model.  The folks over at Moparinsiders.com reported Friday that some dealers are asking Demon-level prices for their limited allocations of the commemorative package. Their assessment? Not worth it. We're inclined to agree.  The Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition package is, fundamentally at least, little more than a set of stickers, a dash plaque and a tiny bump in horsepower. What you really get for your money is exclusivity. Only 501 were built (to commemorate the number of production units required to homologate the original Charger Daytona for NASCAR racing); just 451 went to U.S. dealers. The other 50 were reserved for Canada.  To be fair, no variant of the 2020 Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody even approaches the definition of "inexpensive." Just to get behind the wheel of the newest edition to the Charger lineup will set you back at least $71,000. The Widebody package is more than just a set of custom fenders. The Hellcat also gets another 1.6 inches of track width and some extra rubber on the road. SRT engineers also increased the Hellcat’s front spring rate by 32% and beefed up its sway bars (from 19 mm to 21.7 mm in the front and from 32 mm to 34 mm in the rear). The adaptive suspension was firmed up a little bit across the board too for crisper response over road imperfections. Plus, you know, there's that 707-horsepower, supercharged, 6.2-liter engine. The Daytona gets an extra 10 ponies, right? Well, sort of, anyway. SRT rated its output at a slightly higher engine speed. Between us, it's the same thing.  So, there's a silver lining: You don't have to spend $100,000 for a 2020 Charger Widebody Hellcat if you don't want to, but somebody probably will.  Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.    

Buick takes top spot in 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study

People, economies, and supply chains weren't the only things continuing to get sick over the past year. The 2022 J.D. Power Initial Quality Study (IQS) is out, showing the average rate of problems per 100 vehicles (PP100) during the first 90 days of ownership increased overall. The average figure for the 32 ranked manufacturers in 2020 was about 166 problems per 100 vehicles. In the 2021 IQS, that dropped to an average of 162. This year, the average jumps to 180 problems. J.D. Power says that figure is a record high over the 36-year history of the study. Buick leapt to the top of the rankings this year with the fewest issues, at 139 problems per 100 vehicles in the first 100 days of ownership. After Dodge became the first American automaker to lead the IQS in 2020, followed by Ram in 2021, this year marks a three-peat for U.S. carmakers. Dodge took second this year at 143 PP100, Chevrolet third with 147 PP100, Genesis the first luxury maker on the chart in fourth with 156 PP100. Between February and May, this year's study gathered responses to 223 questions from more than 84,000 new 2022-model-year car owners and lessees. The questions are designed to zero in on real-world problems new owners encounter with nine categories of vehicle features: Infotainment; features, controls and displays; exterior; driving assistance; interior; powertrain; seats; driving experience; and climate. As has been the case in the past few year, infotainment has proved to be the most problematic bugbear making scores worse. Considering features individually, six of 10 of the worst problem areas dealt with infotainment, causing infotainment's score of 45 PP100 to be 19.5 PP100 worse than the second-placed feature. Consumers ranked getting Android Auto and Apple CarPlay to connect reliably as the most troublesome.  GM didn't just score with Buick, which was one of only nine of the 33 ranked brands to show improvement this year. The conglomerate earned first place with the fewest PP100 among all the automaker groups, and scored the most model-level awards with nine, ahead of BMW with eight and Hyundai Group with three.  This year's study again showed a gap between luxury and mass-market makers, thought to be down to the amount of tech in luxury vehicles that consumers aren't properly informed about or that doesn't act as expected — that latter issue exacerbated by the chip shortage.

Amazon opens contest for The Grand Tour tickets in the US

British enthusiasts already had the opportunity to win tickets to the first taping of The Grand Tour, and now Amazon has opened up a similar chance for customers in the US. In celebration of Prime Day, which starts today, customers in the US can enter The Grand Tour Prime Day Prize Draw. The prize includes travel, $200 to spend, accommodation, and a meet and greet with Jeremy Clarkson, Richard Hammond, and James May. Customers that are interested fulfilling a childhood dream should visit Amazon's website and fill out the entry form soon as the draw closes on July 12. The Grand Tour will launch this fall as an exclusive for Amazon Prime members with the exact city locations for studio records set to be revealed later this summer. Amazon, however, did reveal that the trio will host shows in the UK, US, and Germany. So there's no need to get too upset if you don't win the draw. With Top Gear getting a major shakeup with the departure of Chris Evans, we're itching to see Clarkson, Hammond, and May behind the wheel of cars again. The trio, it seems, is also excited to get the new show rolling as Clarkson posted a drifty video on his Facebook page. The trio are currently in Italy filming a comparison between an Aston Martin DB11, a Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat, and Rolls-Royce Dawn. The five-second clip has the Challenger Hellcat and DB11 drifting head-on into the camera crew, which is behind the wheel of an Alfa Romeo. News Source: Amazon, FacebookImage Credit: The Grand Tour TV/Movies Alfa Romeo Aston Martin Dodge the grand tour