2017 Dodge Challenger Information Posted Online

We haven’t heard anything official from Chrysler thus far, but the folks at Hellcat.org have gotten their hands on some leaked information on the 2017 Dodge Challenger. While there are no huge changes planned for the next model year, the 2017 Challenger could get some new colors, a revamped infotainment system and even a new “special edition” trimline that is expected to arrive late this year.

According to the post on the large Hellcat-specific forum, the 2017 Dodge Challenger lineup will go relatively unchanged, with the same trimlines (SXT, R/T, Scat Pack, SRT 392, SRT Hellcat, Shaker R/T and Scat Pack) and the same engine/transmission combinations (3.6L V6, 5.7L Hemi, 6.4L Hemi, supercharged 6.2L Hellcat Hemi – 6-speed manual standard on Hemi models, 8-speed standard with the V6 and optional with everything else).

What will be changing for the 2017 Challenger is the infotainment system, which will feature the newest version of Chrysler’s UConnect with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibilities. Also, the color palate will be changing, with Ceramic Gray, Velvet Red Pearl Coat, Green Go and Yellow Jacket joining the lineup. I expect that Ceramic Gray and Velvet Red will be “normal” color options with the Red Pearl Coat likely coming with a slightly increase in MSRP while Green Go and Yellow Jacket sound like they would be perfect high impact, special order colors. In the same way that Plum Crazy and Go ManGo were offered during limited order windows, I would expect to see Green Go and Yellow Jacket offered for a short period of time – although production numbers won’t actually be limited to a preset number.

Finally, there is word that the 2017 Dodge Challenger will get a new special edition model late in 2016, after the rest of the lineup has reached showrooms in the fall. There is no information on this special edition Challenger, but with Yellow Jacket being a new color and being a prior special edition package for the SRT Challenger – perhaps there will be a new Yellow Jacket Challenger with SRT goodies. Of course, that special edition 2017 Challenger could also go a variety of different directions with all of the available trimlines.

Again, none of this is official information, but this information is said to come from an individual inside of the company and this same source has provided accurate information in the past – so there should certainly be aspects of this information that prove to be true. At the same time, this is preliminary information and things could change before the 2017 Challenger reaches production, but it seems that the next model year will introduce a new infotainment system, new colors and a mysterious new package.

Source: Hellcat.org

Patrick Rall

"Before I was old enough to walk, my dad was taking me to various types of racing events, from local drag racing to the Daytona 500," says Patrick Rall, a lifetime automotive expert, diehard Dodge fan, and respected auto journalist for over 10 years. "He owned a repair shop and had a variety of performance cars when I was young, but by the time I was 16, he was ready to build me my first drag car – a 1983 Dodge Mirada that ran low 12s. I spent 10 years traveling around the country, racing with my dad by my side. While we live in different areas of the country, my dad still drag races at 80 years old in the car that he built when I was 16 while I race other vehicles, including my 2017 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat and my 1972 Dodge Demon 340.

"Although I went to college for accounting, my time in my dad’s shop growing up allowed me the knowledge to spend time working as a mechanic before getting my accounting degree, at which point I worked in the office of a dealership group. While I was working in the accounting world, I continued racing and taking pictures of cars at the track. Over time, I began showing off those pictures online and that led to my writing.

"Ten years ago, I left the accounting world to become a full-time automotive writer and I am living proof that if you love what you do, you will never “work” a day in your life," adds Rall, who has clocked in time as an auto mechanic, longtime drag racer and now automotive journalist who contributes to nearly a dozen popular auto websites dedicated to fellow enthusiasts.

"I love covering the automotive industry and everything involved with the job. I was fortunate to turn my love of the automotive world into a hobby that led to an exciting career, with my past of working as a mechanic and as an accountant in the automotive world provides me with a unique perspective of the industry.

"My experience drag racing for more than 20 years coupled with a newfound interest in road racing over the past decade allows me to push performance cars to their limit, while my role as a horse stable manager gives me vast experience towing and hauling with all of the newest trucks on the market today.

"Being based on Detroit," says Rall, "I never miss the North American International Auto Show, the Woodward Dream Cruise and Roadkill Nights, along with spending plenty of time raising hell on Detroit's Woodward Avenue with the best muscle car crowd in the world.

Rall can be contacted at QuickMirada@Yahoo.com

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