Photo Source/Copyright: Stellantis
Earlier this year, a newly minted merger between Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and Groupe PSA was born to create Stellantis. Stellantis, now the parent company of all brands under the former groups, including Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, and more, have made a series of moves to reorganize the structure of the individual brands.
Chief among the moves made so far this year was that the Street & Racing Technology (SRT) division would no longer be its own brand within the company. This is not to say the brand will no longer exist, but the team is being reorganized.
SRT is known for collaborating with vehicle makers within the Stellantis wing on projects such as the Dodge Challenger SRT, Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat, Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392, Ram 1500 TRX, and others. The collaborations often end up catapulting already powerful vehicles into high-performance iterations that boast some of the strongest power numbers across the entire auto world.
Luckily for enthusiasts who’ve come to appreciate the brand, they are here to stay despite the disbanding of the parent company.
Tim Kuniskis, Dodge brand chief executive, recently explained the brand is doing the opposite of tearing the SRT brand apart.
“We took this core group of people that were sitting in one building where guys were working on TRX in one area, and Rubicon 392 in another area, and Chargers and Challengers in another area, and sent the TRX group to work with the Ram engineers, the Rubicon 392 group to work with the Wrangler engineers and so on. People looked at that change and said, ‘SRT is being disbanded.’ Absolutely not. It’s the opposite,” he said.
Most experts would agree that SRT is largely a subdivision within the Dodge brand, with only the highest trims receiving the rockstar performance upgrades SRT is known for. SRT is much like AMG is to Mercedes or M-line is to BMW.
Kuniskis asserted that with the transition for SRT, it is the perfect starting point for new innovation. “It’s going to enable more performance than we’ve ever seen before. Ever.”
The Future
While there is no exact information as to where the brand will begin its innovation journey, it is safe to assume that the brand will shift a focus to battery-powered vehicles and hybrids in the near future.
However, this shift of focus will likely be an arduous task. Engineers will have to take into account the size of the battery platform, center of gravity, and other factors. The future of the sub-brand will rely on their ability to stay ahead of the game. Fortunately, they have a great team of engineers that are capable of getting it done and keeping the brand alive.
2021 SRT Performance Models
While the SRT engineers shift their focus elsewhere, SRT still has a lot to offer in 2021. Starting with the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye. This monster vehicle is powered by a 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine that pushes 797 horsepower and a top speed of 203 miles per hour. Also carrying the same engine is the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat and the 2021 Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock. Respectively, these cars push out impressive 0-60 times under 3.5 seconds and top speeds over 180 mph.
If you’d like to experience the thrills the SRT lineup has to offer at University Dodge. Explore their expansive performance inventory, along with the latest Dodge inventory, and schedule a test drive today! Follow University Dodge on social media to stay up to date with the latest Dodge news and offers.
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Terry is an avid Nascar fan who grew up attending races at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, North Carolina, just down the road from his hometown of China Grove, NC. Terry currently resides in Wellington and has been writing for 15 years. He also enjoys watching the Road Runner Looney Tunes cartoon with his two sons in his spare time.