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2020 Dodge Charger R/T and Scat Pack get Daytona Edition Packages

Dodge announced the Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody Daytona 50th Anniversary Edition late last year, limited to 501 examples, one of which has already gone to that big NASCAR infield in the sky. For the rest of the Daytona fandom, Mopar Insiders says Dodge has just opened the order books for the Daytona Edition Package available on the standard Charger R/T and Scat Pack. When optioned with the package, both trims get a Mopar cold air intake under the hood, a black spoiler, and a satin black Daytona graphic across the rear decklid and fenders. Both sedans also upgrade their side mirrors to automatically adjust downward when the transmission is put in reverse, plus an automatically-dimming driver's side mirror. Inside, they share power driver's and passenger's seats in Nappa leather and Alcantara with the Daytona logo, heated seats front and rear, a premium-stitched dash panel with gloss black instrument cluster rings, and a power tilt and telescoping steering wheel. Additional upper and lower LED lighting in the front of the cabin, plus illuminated rear cupholders, memory functions for the driver's seat, radio, and outside mirrors, and black-edge premium floor mats complete the interior changes.  The Charger R/T sits on 20 x 9-inch Lights Out painted wheels, and installs a heated steering wheel and security alarm. The Charger Scat Pack sits on 20 x 9.5-inch forged and painted aluminum wheels, and affixes more satin black decals on the roof and the hood on top of a Daytona badge on the grille. The mirrors are luxxed up further than on the R/T, being powered and heated as well as fold-away, and including a blind-spot warning. Inside the Scat Pack, a Daytona badge on the instrument panel mixes with Carbonite accents throughout the interior.  The Daytona Edition Package can be ordered in any of the 12-strong color palette, including Frostbite (pictured), Hellraisin, and Sinamon Stick that are new for 2020. The kit adds $3,495 to the prices of both cars, so before any other options, the 2020 Charger R/T Daytona comes to $41,385 after destination, the 2020 Charger Scat Pack Daytona comes to $44,985. Related Video:

Hackers stole Jeeps in Texas using FCA's internal dealer software

This article has been updated with details on how the thefts were carried out, and with comments from FCA. It seems the news regarding vehicle hacking continues to get worse, especially when it comes to products from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Last year, a Jeep Cherokee in St. Louis, Missouri, was wirelessly hacked from Pittsburgh. Nissan had to shut down its Leaf app because of vulnerabilities. Now, a pair of hackers in Houston, Texas, stole more than 30 Jeeps over a six-month period. The two were arrested by police last Friday while attempting to steal another vehicle. ABC 13 in Houston reports that police had been following Michael Arcee and Jesse Zelay for several months but were unable to catch them in the act until now. The two were using a laptop to connect to and start a vehicle. The thieves were able to access Fiat Chrysler's own DealerCONNECT software. After entering the vehicle identification number, the hackers were able to reprogram the cars' security systems to accept a generic key, according to The Houston Chronicle. Additionally, Automotive News reports that FCA subsequently updated the terms of use for its DealerCONNECT program. These thefts were not related to the UConnect remote hacks from last year. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. In April, this surveillance video showed the theft of a Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. It was this footage that first led the police to Arcee and Zelay. The police began to follow and record the pair. That investigation eventually led to Friday's arrest. Both are charged with unauthorized use of a motor vehicle. In addition, Arcee is charged with felon in possession of a weapon and possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance. According to ABC 13, Homeland Security is investigating more than 100 stolen FCA vehicles that they believe were hacked using this method. After their theft, the vehicles were brought across the border to Mexico. FCA is currently conducting an internal investigation into the matter. After this article was posted, the company reached out to Autoblog, stating "FCA US takes the safety and security of its customers seriously and incorporates security features in its vehicles that help to reduce the risk of unauthorized and unlawful access to vehicle systems and wireless communications. FCA US has been cooperating with Houston Police Department since they first started the investigation.

Stellantis axed the SRT engineer team, but performance isn't going away

Stellantis has broken up the Street & Racing Technology (SRT) engineering team that created over a dozen high-performance vehicles, including the Dodge Charger Hellcat, but the situation isn't as dire as it sounds. The newly-formed company assigned SRT's former engineers to different positions, where they'll continue to make hot rods. "All of the core elements of the SRT performance engineering team have been integrated into our company's global engineering organization," a spokeswoman told enthusiast website Mopar Insiders. She added that integrating SRT's personnel into other brands in the Stellantis portfolio will ensure that the lessons learned from decades of peddling speed will permeate other products. Previously, SRT operated with a high degree of independence. Don't get too excited. Her statement does not necessarily mean that Citroen will begin building cars powered by the Hellcat engine, though a C3 Chat D'enfer sounds absolutely epic. Technology transfer will likely be limited to fields like aerodynamics and thermal management, and the design department might learn a couple of neat new tricks. Dodge will still move forward with the development of its next SRT-branded cars; the decision to dissolve the SRT team will not affect future models, according to the spokeswoman. Whether they'll be powered by a V8 is up in the air, because company boss Tim Kuniskis warned that regulations are killing the eight-cylinder engine. Similarly, Jeep will continue designing high-performance models, like the Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. What changes is that the model will be developed and designed by a group of engineers and designers from Jeep, not from SRT. SRT is dead, but performance isn't going away. SRT's demise nonetheless marks the end of an era for Chrysler. The division traces its roots to 1989, when some of the company's brightest minds were brought together to develop the first-generation Dodge Viper. It merged with Team Prowler to form the Specialty Vehicle Engineering (SVE) group, which was renamed Performance Vehicle Operations (PVO) in 2002 and finally dubbed SRT in 2004. SRT has operated as the carmaker's in-house tuner since, its resume includes a diverse selection of cars ranging from the Neon SRT-4 to the 1500 TRX, and it was promoted to a standalone brand led by designer Ralph Gilles in 2011. Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) axed the SRT brand in 2014 but kept the name and the development team. Related video: