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Dodge delaying Challenger Hellcats ordered with satin black hood [UPDATE]

The new Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat is one of the most formidable muscle cars on the planet. And it looks the part, too – especially with the optional satin black hood. But if you were one of the first customers to place an order for the 707-horsepower Mopar muscle car and specified the black hood on the options sheet, you may have to wait awhile. According to members of the Hellcat.org forum cited by Car and Driver, deliveries of certain Challenger Hellcats have been delayed without explanation. When these fanatic customers started looking into the issue, they realized that all of the delayed orders shared one thing in common: they all had ordered their Dodges with that optional black hood. Although an exact reason wasn't specified, those who ordered the black hood on their Challenger coupes were told that delivery was being pushed back to February. But some were reportedly informed by their local dealership that things could be moved along if they switched their order to a body-colored hood instead. It's not clear if the issue is a supplier problem, a paint booth issue at the factory, or something else entirely. We've reached out to Dodge for clarification, and will update this story when we hear back. UPDATE: Reached for comment, a Dodge spokesperson confirmed to Autoblog that the satin black hood "is not currently available for production" and that customers who ordered it "can opt to change their order to a body-color hood" or otherwise have their orders delayed until the option becomes available at a later date to be confirmed.

Detroit 3 small cars lay an egg in latest Consumer Reports reliability study

Consumer Reports has released its Annual Auto Reliability Survey and the results are, in a word, interesting. While we already covered the score-damaging effects of infotainment systems, there's another big angle to the data that's getting some attention - the utterly dismal scores of the Detroit Three's small car offerings.
The turbocharged Dodge Dart and Chevrolet Cruze, as well as the Ford Fiesta were their respective brands' lowest-scoring models, a stat that's made worse by the fact that the American automakers finished 25th, 21st and 23rd, respectively.
That's not acceptable for The Detroit Free Press' auto critic, Mark Phelan, who has penned a scathing critique of the D3's small car reliability scores, arguing that GM, Ford and Chrysler are "out of excuses."

Dodge Challenger R/T Shaker and Mopar '14 Challenger up the retro appeal

The reborn Dodge Challenger might be getting a bit long in the tooth, having been on the market in its current form since 2008, but Chrysler isn't going to give up on its brutish, full-size two-door just yet. For this year's SEMA Show, the Challenger will be getting a new Mopar edition, as well as a retro-cool shaker hood on the 5.7-liter, Hemi-equipped R/T models.
As we mentioned last night, the Shaker Package will cost $2,500, but includes the Super Track Pak (new steering rack, brake linings, upgraded shocks and 20-inch Goodyear Eagle F1 Super Car tires), a $595 option on its own. The shaker hood result in a performance bump of any kind, but the blacked-out, pop-up scoop is a nifty feature that hasn't been seen on a production car since the Ford Mustang Mach 1 in the early 2000s.
The Mopar '14 Challenger (pictured right) follows the cues of previous Mopar Editions, which have included the 2010 Challenger, 2011 Charger, 2012 300 and 2013 Dart. Only 100 Mopar '14 Challengers will be produced, and they'll include the new shaker hood, Mopar's distinctive blue graphics and wheels, and whatever is pilfered from the accessory catalog.