1973 Dodge Charger Rallye 340 Auto – Number Matching Mopar on 2040-cars

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Will Dodge limit 2015 Challenger SRT Hellcat to 1,200 units?

With over 700 horsepower on tap and a price tag barely over $60k, Dodge appears on paper to have a winner on its hands with the new Challenger SRT Hellcat. But if you want to get your hands on one, you may have to act quicker than this most powerful of muscle cars covers the quarter-mile.
That's because, according to our compatriots over at Edmunds, Dodge may limit production - in the first year, at least - to just 1,200 units. That would amount to barely a quarter of the Challengers that Dodge moves each month, and would also mean only one Hellcat for every two Dodge dealers in the US - which could lead to some serious contention over which stores and which customers can get their hands on the ultimate Challenger.
Reached for comment, SRT spokesman Dan Reid told Autoblog that "there is no plan to limit production of the Challenger Hellcat," echoing the words of Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis who told Edmunds: "We don't know what the market demand is." Which doesn't mean that it won't restrict production, but doesn't mean that it will, either. It just hasn't decided yet - or announced any such decision, at any rate - over what will be the final allocation strategy for what could be a game-changing muscle car. That is, at least, until new versions of the Mustang and Camaro come along in pursuit of Dodge's bragging rights...

Get a peek at the Dodge Demon in the new Fate of the Furious trailer

Will all of the news that comes out, Thursdays should now be referred to as Demon Days (no relation to the 2005 album by Gorillaz), at least until April. In addition to this morning's news on the Dodge Demon's Launch Assist and beefed-up components, the automaker released a trailer/commercial for The Fate of the Furious that shows a Dodge barrage and a few quick looks at the new car. The film, which opens days after the Demon's debut at the 2017 New York International Auto Show, is packed full of Dodge, SRT, and FCA products. While the few cars shown in the garage look superficially like Demons, they appear to just be standard Hellcats – the hood is wrong, and they are missing the fender flares. On the other hand, the ones in the trailer's chase scene appear to be the real deal, or at least made to look like it, with the big AirGrabber hood scoop and wide-body fender flares. We've seen a few of these cars already on the film's set, so this is no real surprise. The ad itself is a bit strange. The shots of the woman standing in front of the SRT lineup appear to be cut into footage from the film, so she's not actually talking to the cast in these scenes. That's why a narrow-body car bursts through the wall and becomes a wide-body Demon-like thing. Well, the Fast and Furious franchise was built on bad dialog and over the top car stunts, so par for the course? The film debuts on April 14, and expect the Demon around that time, too. Related Video: News Source: Dodge/YouTube TV/Movies Dodge Performance dodge demon dodge hellcat the fate of the furious

Stellantis will enter joint venture with Samsung SDI for EV batteries

SEOUL — South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co Ltd and global automaker Stellantis NV have agreed to jointly produce electric vehicle (EV) batteries for the North American market, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Samsung SDI, an affiliate of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics, already has EV battery plants in South Korea, China and Hungary, which supply customers such as BMW and Ford. "The two companies (Samsung SDI and Stellantis) have struck a MOU (memorandum of understanding) to produce EV batteries for North America," the person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The source spoke of condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The person said the location of the battery joint venture is under review and will be announced later. In July, Reuters reported that Samsung SDI may build a battery plant in the United States, citing a company source. South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier reported the two companies plan to build a factory in the United States, citing industry sources. Samsung SDI and Stellantis did not have immediate comment when reached by Reuters. Stellantis on Monday struck a preliminary deal with battery maker South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America. Shares of Samsung SDI were up 2.6% as of 0300 GMT, versus a 0.6% rise in the KOSPI benchmark index. Related video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall