Despite the relentless influx of mobility, electrification and other industry love affairs at the moment, it’s a pretty darn good time to be an auto enthusiast. Technology and analog power seem to be converging before our eyes with every new high-power vehicle released. The 2018 Dodge Challenger Demon is one of those shining stars.
Yes, we understand this is GM Authority, but our sister publication, Fiat-Chrysler Authority, was one of many outlets invited to drive Dodge’s demonic muscle car. And it’s worth noting GM and Chevrolet haven’t produced something quite like the Demon. It begs the question: what makes an apex muscle car? The Demon might be pretty close.
While Chevrolet has chased a track-focused agenda for the sixth-generation Camaro, Dodge has embraced its old Daimler intellectual property and reinvented it once more. The 840 horsepower propelled the car forward with force and the entire setup and launch process added a feeling of immersion unknown to many a Camaro.
Of course, there will be many on the Camaro’s side of the fence. The Demon is big, old and it’s not a track machine; it fully embodies the muscle car’s glory days with a shot of straight line speed and an adrenaline chaser. It’s a very different beast from the Camaro.
We’ve touched on this before with ways to fix the sixth-generation Camaro, but as it stands, it’s hard to deny the fact Dodge built a very, very special car. And it built one in a world where mobility seems poised for a takeover.
Comments
First, the Demon is an awesome machine. It does what it does great, but don’t belittle the Camaro because its a different type of muscle car now. Its also an awesome machine. The Camaro is not perfect by any means but its performance is its biggest strength and this article is implying otherwise.
I respectfully disagree. I believe the article objectively points out the characteristics and abilities of the Demon that sets it apart from the Camaro’s performance variants. I don’t necessarily see the article belittling the Camaro’s capabilities at all; although some may see implications of such if they’re looking for it. I think it’s good that GM Authority is taking an objective look at the competitive brands of GM, which provides a good perspective on what the competition is doing.
We agree to disagree, good day sir.
The demon is for trash faggi dodge garbage demon the z/28 850 hp it’s coming
Why don’t you post once again after you have finished 1st grade!
The Demon is a limited sale car that was done for marketing only. The car can not put all the power to the ground and is far from something you would drive daily. Unless make some changes like opting for a second seat.
The Z and Shelby are reaching out to the world more as a Global GT and trying to grow global sales to permit these cars live on vs nursing a few sales just to be considered relevant.
Hey it is cool FCA did this car but it will add nothing to the future of this car to keep it alive long term.
FCA has also show they can not compete even on the EV level that will be very important as more and more markets are looking to force the EV agenda. A mild Hybrid is a failed path forward.
The time is coming where I would not be surprised if Dodge Cars no longer exist. Sergio has never cared and only wants the trucks and Jeeps.
The change to Ram trucks name from Dodge was no accident.
“Hey it is cool FCA did this car but it will add nothing to the future of this car to keep it alive long term.”
Other than completely, entirely understanding their target audience and providing a halo effect for years to come? The concept of road coarse attack Camaro is revolutionary, but has a hard time selling. CC- the 2,500 Camaro Z/28s built for the 2015 model year.
Dodge is already pretty close to selling out of the 3,000 allocated Demons.
Time is also proving FCA correct with sedans like the 300 and Charger. They’ve intentionally aged like crocodiles, yet still sell at a steady clip, are hugely profitable for the company, and continue to show that a lot of people just want big, V8 cars with RWD.
And the Durango SRT is just a peach.
3000 is nothing in the big picture. Good pr but nothing in the big game.
Yes it is a halo deal and that has helped move some heavily discounted regular models. But in the big picture these low numbers mean nothing.
FCA really needs to be putting money into an updated platform and updated engine for the future. As it is now yes they have stretched the old stuff well but it does not bode well for 5 years from now as these products need replaced if you expect the, to survive.
Time is not their friend as yes they are selling but they are not making much on the heavy discount and inpending Cafe and emission that are coming they are not going to be ready for them.
My in laws got a 300 last year with discounts that made it less than a Malibu. But with the many trips for issues and recalls it is not what they had hoped for.
Odds are if they survive they will be left with a Alfa based coupe with a Turbo V6. While a nice combo it will not play well with the old school they are playing with now.
Might want to be careful that all croc might just get shot in the head.
As for the Durango the need is to sell the non SRT not the toke few SRT. That peach can rot before you get to pick it.
The bottom line is for these cars to survive they need to go global and sell in greater numbers than any of them do now. Lingering at lower numbers than 80k- 100k will not go on forever. If it does the price will have to go up.
This segment needs reinvented and re established for it to survive in a market of declining car sales
Just making money is not enough anymore. If they can use the same amount they invest in one of these cars in a different kind of model and significantly increase the profit they will.
Have you driven any of the big FCA products? Hate to say it, but I’d rather have a Charger 392 over an SS Sedan. I’d rather have a Demon over a ZL1. And I’d rather have an SRT Durango over a Tahoe RST. I know this is GMAuthority, but it’s not GMWorship. FCA’s quality report might be disappointing, but we’re also comparing GM here. In a lot of cases, it’s pot vs kettle. If I’m going to take a risk on a vehicle, it might as well be the most fun car in the segment.
FCA’s MO has, for decades, been about building very focused products that turn out profitable and sell well – despite the overly opinionated peanut gallery claiming they’re on their death bed. They’re not burning money on EVs and AVs like GM is, and they’re not wasting time chasing entry-level or overly saturated markets anymore. Why would they, or should they, invest so much risk in either something that continues to have minimal market penetration, or is a big question mark entirely? FCA also doesn’t attempt to pander to Wall Street as much as other automakers, because Agnelli Family.
Sergio and Co. are sticking to what they’re good at. And one good example of demonstrating that they’re not as incompetent as they seem is the cancelation of both the Dodge Dart and Chrysler 200. Now Ford is doing similar moves with the Fiesta, and allegedly the Fusion. GM is reportedly following suit with some of its big cars in the future, even the Impala. But FCA knew to pull out of the passenger car segment first. They’ve leveraged the Jeep brand to sell crossovers, Dodge is printing money, and Ram has been chomping at Chevy’s heels all of 2017. And Chrysler is supplying vehicles to Google. FCA is doing just fine.
Halo vehicles do wonders for a brand when executed properly, so there’s no need to underestimate them. Look at Mercedes-Benz. Every few years or so they continue to blow minds with cars like the SLR Sterling Moss, to the 6×6, to the Project One. FCA has proven they’re capable of similar things with the 9-second Demon. Just because GM doesn’t know how to halo car very well doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. The only problem is that the bean counter analysts can’t quantify it.
Back to center – the Demon is almost sold out of its 3,000 units. Gen 5 Z/28 had trouble. When it comes to muscle cars, Dodge is pulling all of the right heartstrings. Chevy fired and missed. Let’s keep the discussion centered around that.
You are missing the point as Sergio is missing the opportunity.
This is the deal yes these RWD cars are nice ad could have been the way forward but they have stagnated on just some low volume special editions of the old cars.
If they have moved forward they could have improved the intire line of each.
But they are now facing a future with a old car that has been riddled with many recalls. They have to discount them heavily and really have little to no global market.
All the wile the have no small car market, they have no solid range of CUVs with mentioning in segment. They have done so little investment here. The way to save FCA would have been volume froze Dodge and Chrysler but they failed to invest in them.
Now they are faced with a future of mild hybrids as the main players ready EV products to the many markets that will require them. They have failed to cut cost while building new product as they cut cost by not investing in volume products period.
The result is these models stand a good chance dying as FCA either sells out to partners with no interest in these models.
The special models are like a cheap fun high that once it wears off they will be worse off in the long run.
As for the Mustang and Camsro the path forward will be a challange even as they attempt to refine the breed.
The reality is the age group of these cars are getting older and the love of this type of car is slowing. They all exist on volume and special editions do nothing to fix that. The reality is the segment today is no longer a cheap Nova, Dart or Falon under pin these cars and they are not going to be cheap. The lack of doors and ability to carry items help limit sales and price again prevents a third car status. If they spend that much there are many more options.
You need to look at this big picture and where the market is going. Dodge is living on special editionswhile Ford and Chevy look for ways to sell more total models not just a limited edition,
No, FCA is not “facing the future with an old car”. All the LX based cars will be based on the AR Gulia (the car GMA gose ga ga over) including a mid-size sedan for Dodge by ’22 with hybrids on the money-making trucks/SUVs. GM is tight-liped about the boring stuff they (slowly) put out and want you to trip over curbs for the newest Douchette.
I mean where’s the rwd Caprice/Impala replacements?,an sport Malibu, an affordable hot-hatch Cruze, an performance CUV, even a”Pontiac” sold out of Buick showrooms. There’s really nothing outside of trucks that the working class wants from GM that FCA provides and GM needs to turn that ship around.
Above you wrote previously wrote that the Demon “can’t put power to the ground,” even though it can do wheelies. So when you tell somebody to look at the big picture, it’s going to be taken with a few grains of salt. You don’t seem to be following FCA’s strategy closely enough.
Crossovers/SUVs? Jeep is the spearhead there. From Renegade to Grand Cherokee. And that lineup is set to grow soon with Grand Wagoneer. It’s a more complete lineup than what can be found at either the Chevrolet or GMC brands. And it’s silly to think that Dodge and Chrysler won’t at one point offer crossovers as well.
And the stellar Giorgio platform is slated to replace the LX over time.
FCA has also been pretty transparent with its electrification strategy, which will trickle from Maserati. But you seemed to have forgotten about the 500e – one of the most affordable EVs out there and only sold in CARB states. And the Pacifica Hybrid. They haven’t been sitting on their hands, and I surely don’t blame them for burning money on a project like the Bolt EV, before battery costs are low enough to make a proper business case for them, and that’s to say nothing of an EV charging network that’s still thin, 8 years after the original Volt launched. If draining company funds in the name of high-risk “opportunity” is your idea of good business sense, I’ve got some beachfront property in Kansas to sell.
Moreover, Chevrolet isn’t exactly a global brand, either. It’s got the western hemisphere, and some of Asia, but practically non existent in Europe and Africa. Toyota and VW are the only true global automakers that can be found virtually anywhere.
So what if it’s perceived that the muscle car audience is “old.” It’s also young, but like we’ve discussed before, there aren’t a lot of millennials with third cars. If they do have a fun car, it’s likely a discontinued model that they picked up for 10 grand or less. And a Camaro 2.0T isn’t going to give them the practicality of a GTI. And Europeans would rather have an American pony car with a V8, as demand has shown. Another fire, another miss.
It’s as if there’s a refusal to acknowledge that customers just want a V8 engine with proper sound and output, and instead of providing that, every other lever is being pulled with fingers crossed. We can blame CAFE if we want, but there’s probably more to it than that.
For special editions, Chevrolet is probably most guilty of this. Redline, 45th Anniversary, 50th Anniversary, Krypton, Hot Wheels… etc. None of them add anything except a visual package. The Challenger Demon is so much more than some special edition. Dodge will also sell you a V8 for cheaper than either Ford or Chevy, by several grand. That’s not a special edition, either.
The Demon is also shaking up the tuning industry. When customers walk in they say “I want my Camaro/Mustang to beat a Demon” – that speaks volumes. It is the apex predator. The Dodge Challenger also does better at providing a muscle car glory days aesthetic than any other make.
Well stated. Having spent many years at Chrysler/FCA as a contractor and now at GM for a few years I will say that Chrysler does a lot with few resources, is lean and quick to make decisions. That is one of the characteristics of the old GM that Mary Barra has yet to exorcise from the new GM. It is better but a long way to go! I say hats off to FCA for bringing some very interesting product to market.
Yea great job in having the oldest platforms, no electrification in the pipeline, the least finacially healthy out of the big 3. What is this thread? The twilight zone.
It is the oldest platform and the better car, Chevy has made the Camaro a small car that is having a hard time outselling a 10 year old design. Chevy has invested millions in a car that is not selling as well as Dodge.
Well seems like your working for the wrong site there bub, id rather have the ZL1, RST, SS sedan.
A generalization on all Challengers and Camaros, not just the Demon and ZL1. Who cares if the Challenger is old. The Challenger has better visibility and usable back seat and trunk space, and actually looks like the Challengers of old. For everyday use, the Challenger beats the Camaro hands down.
Totally agree. The Camaro very capable but just doesn’t do it for me. Same with the Corvette! Find myself wishing for a car with current ones powertrain and the C4’s styling!