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SRT’s high-horsepower performance cars aren’t going anywhere.

Earlier this week, news that Stellantis disbanded the SRT team shocked enthusiasts. The three-letter performance...

SRT’s high-horsepower performance cars aren’t going anywhere.

Earlier this week, news that Stellantis disbanded the SRT team shocked enthusiasts. The three-letter performance brand has produced some potent machines in recent years, starting with the original Hellcat in 2015 and culminating in the Demon Drag car a few years later. However, there’s no swan song planned just yet for SRT. Motor Trend got Stellantis on record, saying that it will continue to produce SRT-branded models for Dodge, Ram, and Jeep.

While there’s no longer a dedicated SRT (Street and Racing Technology) team, the engineers who comprise that group continue to work for the company. They’ve been spread across the various Stellantis brands – over a dozen – and integrated into the global engineering organization. The former SRT team will continue its performance-oriented work while also assisting other brands with product development. According to the company, this will have a “two-way benefit,” allowing the SRT team to meet quality standards while sharing their performance knowledge with less enthusiast-focused marquees.

The SRT’s future of high-horsepower gas-powered engines isn’t guaranteed. Quite the opposite, actually. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis admitted that the supercharged 6.2-liter V8’s days were numbered with electric vehicles right around the corner, though he noted that the performance those engines produce has a healthy future. Electric vehicles can deliver instant torque to achieve stunning acceleration performance and high-horsepower fun. It’s just delivered differently.

Stellantis marries Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group into the fourth-largest automaker in the world, putting 14 car brands under one umbrella. The consolidation hopes to save the two costs going forward as EVs become the norm, though managing all those brands could be a challenge. Already the merger has seen the new conglomerate cancel plans to bring Peugeot to America. Instead, it’ll focus on reinvigorating Chrysler in the US. Maybe we’ll see a new SRT-branded Chrysler 300 after all.

 


17 Feb 2021New Cars