The 2015 Dodge Challenger has been official on sale and being delivered for a few months now and in addition to posting much better numbers than during the same period one year earlier, there has been a stunning shift in take rate of the Hemi powered models, which the V8s outselling the V6s by a margin of almost 2 to 1. Most importantly, the new trimlines for 2015 – the R/T Scat Pack and the SRT Hellcat – have both played a big role in the success of the Hemi models this year.
Throughout the 2014 model year, the Dodge Challenger was available in 5 trimlines with 1 coming with the 3.6L Pentastar V6, 2 featuring the 5.7L Hemi V8 and 2 packing the 6.4L Hemi V8. During that final model year of the pre-redesign Challenger, the SXT models accounted for 53% of all sales, while the Hemi models accounting for the other 47%. The standard R/T with the 5.7L Hemi accounted for 37% of total sales while the R/T Shaker with that same engine added another 4%. The SRT Core and SRT 392 – both of which came with the 475hp 6.4L Hemi – each accounted for 3% for a total of 6% in the model year.
So far in the 2015 model year, the Dodge Challenger is still available in 5 trimlines, but now there are 4 different engines. The Challenger SXT comes with the Pentastar V6 and the R/T comes with the 5.7L Hemi V8. The new R/T Scat Pack is powered by the beefed up 6.4L Hemi with 485 horsepower, as does the new SRT 392 model. Finally, the SRT Hellcat obviously comes with the 6.2L supercharger Hellcat Hemi.
The take rate of the SXT model so far for the 2015 Dodge Challenger has dropped to just 38% and the standard Challenger R/T has accounted for 31% early on. The new R/T Scat Pack has been a popular model early on, covering 16% of all 2015 Challenger sales thus far and the SRT 392 accounts for another 6% of its own. The Hellcat Challenger with 707 horsepower has been a big hit, with 9% of the early buyers picking the most powerful American production engine of all time.
We are likely to see the popularity of the Hemi-powered Challengers fade a bit over the next 12 months, but the low price of gasoline, the low prices of the new Scat Pack model and the stunning low price of the 707hp Hellcat Challenger will likely help the Hemis to keep pace with the Pentastar through the 2015 model year…and maybe beyond.
"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.
