- Stellantis is reviving SRT to boost performance across Dodge, Jeep, Ram, and Chrysler.
- Tim Kuniskis is leading the charge, promising real halo cars, not just badges.
- Models like the Durango SRT Hellcat hint at the buzz dealers hope to cash in on.
The return of Stellantis’s performance arm marks a notable shift in the company’s strategy, and for dealers, the timing couldn’t be better. What began in 1989 as a small group developing the original Viper eventually became a defining force in American performance.
Over the years, the Street and Racing Technology division, or SRT. vision carved out a reputation with cars like the Dodge Neon SRT-4, the Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT-8, and most famously, the Dodge Challenger Hellcat. Although Stellantis dissolved SRT in 2021, the brand is now being revived, and for dealers, it can’t do its work fast enough.
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Early this month, Stellantis made the announcement that it was “getting the band back together,” regarding SRT. The performance arm will have a hand in products from Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram. This isn’t just a smoke and mirrors show with a fancy badge either: Tim Kuniskis, the man who led Dodge to success, is at the helm.
Stellantis National Dealer Council Chairman Michael Bettenhausen told Auto News, “I’m really bullish on Stellantis just making the investment into SRT, and really the prospects that it can bring in halo models to, if not all of our brands, at the very least many of our models that we have today. It’s really extraordinary. I never imagined SRT coming back.”
It’s unclear exactly what SRT products will look like, but the only current one with the badge gives us a hint. That vehicle is the bonkers Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. It’s a boatload of fun, wildly powerful, hauls people, and tows like a full-size truck.
The reality here is that Stellantis doesn’t even need to pump out an SRT model for every single buyer. Dealers will benefit simply from having new halo models in the news, the showroom, and on lots. Buyers who want one but don’t qualify will be more willing to check out models that are similar.
They’ll flock to dealers, and the latter will have more chances to make a sale. Now we just have to wait to see if those halo models are genuinely good enough to drum up the attention Stellantis dealers are craving.
