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Dodge Challenger spied exercising supercharged Hellcat Hemi V8

One of the prime complaints against the Dodge Challenger is that, even in SRT8 guise, its 470 horsepower is responsible for hauling over 4,200 pounds of vehicle. For comparison, the 420 hp in the Ford Mustang GT only has to deal with 3,618 lbs. Things only get worse from there, as the higher-performance variants of both the Mustang and the Chevrolet Camaro are far more powerful than an SRT8 without adding on much heft.
So what is Chrysler to do? The correct answer is add a whole lot more grunt to its hefty two-door and even the odds. That's where the all-new Hellcat engine comes into play. We reported on this engine in May, and suggested that the Hellcat, a supercharged powerplant based on a 6.4-liter V8, would easily generate 500 to 570 hp and could likely arrive boasting more than 600 ponies.
Chrysler's ace in its sleeve has now been spied testing, with a number of Hellcat-equipped Challengers running the potent new engine both in more urbanized areas and under the sun of Death Valley. The hoods on these testers have been raised to accommodate the engine, and that camouflage over the fascias of these prototypes is there to hide a larger air intake. We also note what appears to be a new split grille under wraps. As for power output, our spies are now suggesting a Viper-equalling 640 hp from the Hellcat-equipped cars.

Stellantis not looking for further mergers, including with Renault

MILAN — Stellantis Chairman John Elkann on Monday denied the carmaker was hatching merger plans, responding to press speculation about a possible French-led tie-up with rival Renault. Elkann said that the Peugeot owner, the world's third largest carmaker by sales, was focused on the execution of its long-term business plan. "There is no plan under consideration regarding merger operations with other manufacturers," said Elkann, who also heads Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that is the largest single shareholder in Stellantis. After abandoning the Russian market, at the time its second largest after France, and reducing the scope of its global cooperation with Nissan, Renault has been seen as a potential M&A target. Speculation intensified after an electric vehicle market slowdown forced it last week to cancel IPO plans for its EV and software unit Ampere. Its market cap remains stubbornly low at little over 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) despite a financial recovery over the past few years. Stellantis, the product of a 2021 merger between France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler and one of the most profitable groups in the industry, has a market cap of more than 85 billion euros when unlisted shares are factored in. It has a 14 brand portfolio also including Citroen, Jeep, Opel and Alfa Romeo. NEWSPAPER REPORT Italian daily Il Messaggero had said on Sunday that the French government, which is Renault's largest shareholder and also has a stake in Stellantis, was studying plans for a merger between the two groups. A spokeswoman for Renault said on Monday the group did not comment on rumors. France's Finance Ministry had declined to comment on Sunday. Stellantis has crossed swords with the Italian government, which has accused it of acting against the national interest on occasions. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso last week raised the prospect of the Italian government taking a stake in Stellantis to help to balance the French influence. Renault shares pared gains after Elkann's comments to stand 1.2% higher by 1220 GMT, having initially risen more than 4%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, a Portuguese-national, last week said in an interview with Bloomberg that the group was "ready for any kind of consolidation" and that its job was to make sure that it would be "one of the winners". Analysts, however, question the rationale of a Stellantis-Renault merger, which would also expand the group's excess capacity in Europe.

2020 Dodge Charger pricing starts at $31,390

We've been talking about the 2020 Dodge Charger for three months, and it's finally time to start doing the math on trade-in values and loan payments. The 2020 Charger lineup starts with the SXT in rear-wheel-drive trim priced at $29,895, plus a $1,495 destination charge for a total of $31,390. That's a $425 bump over the 2019 model. The rest of the range doesn't get a price bump higher than $250 save for the Hellcat Widebody. The 2019 Charger didn't offer Widebody variants, so those are new for 2020. The lineup with MSRP changes from 2019: Charger GT RWD $33,390 ($150 more than 2019) Charger SXT AWD $35,090 ($25 more) Charger R/T $37,890 ($150 more) Charger Scat Pack $41,490 ($250 less) Charger Scat Pack Widebody $47,490 (brand new model) Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody $71,140 ($2,150 more than 2019 non-widebody) Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition $75,635 (brand new model) There's a price differential of $44,245 from bottom to top. Even more relevant to the Charger faithful, there's a displacement and power differential from the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 in the SXT with 292 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque to the 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 in the Charger Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition with 717 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque. Dodge plumps the Scat Pack in the middle as having the "most horsepower per dollar," with its 392-cubic-inch Hemi V8 pumping 485 hp and 475 lb-ft. In the amusement park business, this is what's called "Fun for everyone." The Scat Pack Widebody makes a break from its standard sibling with stiffer springs, larger sway bars, and shocks, and retuned dampers. Changes throughout the rest of the lineup save for the SXT center on new wheel and tire options, and an updated Performance Handling Group on the GT and R/T trims. The 2020 Charger order book opens in the fall, but America's family-friendly muscle car won't start hitting dealer lots until early 2020.