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Tempted by the Demon, dealers find way to thwart Dodge, jack up prices

It's the eternal story of short supply, big demand - and car dealers eager to exploit that dynamic, especially when it involves a hot car. A few weeks ago, when Dodge announced that it devised a way to attempt to prevent price-gouging on those 840-horsepower 2018 Dodge Demons, you just knew the dealers would dream up some devilish end-run. And sure enough, despite the manufacturer's best intentions, Demon order slots are being offered with five-figure markups. Here's how things were supposed to work: With a run of just 3,000 cars, Dodge knew it had to do something to address dealer greed, so it announced an allocation system: Cars purchased at or below the $86,090 MSRP would be the first orders filled and delivered. If a dealer sells an allocated Demon for more than sticker, that car goes to the end of the line for production and delivery. Dodge also ensured dealers wouldn't stockpile or hoard Demons by limiting the number of orders a dealer can submit and allocating cars to dealers based on how many Challenger and Charger Hellcats the dealer has sold. But Automotive News reports that some dealers are using intermediaries to auction off their Demon allocations on eBay. Three sellers last week said they were representing dealers in South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana, and auctioning off the right to buy a car in one of the priority spots at MSRP. The minimum bid for the right to buy the car at sticker? From $10,000-25,000. And previous transactions on eBay might have run as high as $75,000. So early buyers are definitely paying an upcharge - but it's a thing apart from the bottom line on the order form, where it appears they are paying MSRP. In other words, a scheme that violates the spirit of what FCA tried to do. A source at FCA told Automotive News the automaker was monitoring the practice but could do little to stop it. And the report quoted a Hellcat owner who said his dealership was ignoring Dodge's strictures altogether and offered him a Demon at MSRP plus $60K. But take heart. Not all car dealers are cynically opportunistic - or rather, some see an opportunity for doing good, not making buck. Automotive News says Bill Marsh Chrysler in Traverse City, Mich., plans to sell its single allocated Demon for $1 under MSRP - and is auctioning off the right to buy it, with the dealership's existing customers eligible to bid. The auction's proceeds will benefit four Traverse City charities.

3-row Jeep Wrangler, V8 Kaiser ambulance, and more from Mopar for SEMA

SEMA is back this year, and as is tradition, the American Stellantis brands Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Mopar are bringing some truly amazing concepts to the show. The brands have come up with seven vehicles, four from Jeep, two from Ram and one from Dodge. Some of them show off the current Mopar catalog and possible future parts, while others are just really cool customs. Let's check them out. Jeep Wrangler Overlook Jeep Wrangler Overlook concept View 8 Photos We're starting off with perhaps the most interesting of the concepts on display, the Jeep Wrangler Overlook. And you'll notice right off the bat that it's longer than your average Wrangler Unlimited. It's actually a full foot longer. And it doesn't just add cargo space, it adds passenger space. There's a third row of seats in the Overlook. Those seats also necessitated the safari-style custom rear roof. It's 5 inches taller than a regular Wrangler roof to provide headroom for rear occupants. It also made room for the extra windows. Front passengers also get a fancy single-piece roof section with a pop-up glass section, and the interior features black leather and bronze accents. Other body changes include a custom hood, a narrower front bumper for improved approach angle and a widened rear bumper to protect the longer tail. It also gets custom front bumper lights, Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) A-pillar lights and tubular side steps. The Overlook also rides on the Jeep Performance Parts (JPP) 2-inch lift kit with Fox shocks and 20-inch wheels with 37-inch tires. We wouldn't have thought a three-row Wrangler would be something that would reach production, and it's still unlikely. But, this looks really good. And when Land Rover already offers a third row in the Defender, and is working on a stretched version, we're starting to wonder if Jeep should think about an even more stretched Wrangler. Kaiser Jeep M725 Kaiser Jeep M725 concept View 11 Photos Next up is this year's resto-mod from the Stellantis crew. They found an old Kaiser Jeep M725 military ambulance and did a few things to make it a more modern, go-anywhere super tailgater. Under the hood is a 485-horsepower 6.4-liter V8 paired to an old-school TorqueFlight 727 automatic transmission, shifted by a B&M shifter housed in a repurposed ammunition box. It's still four-wheel drive and has the old axles, but they're attached via a coil-spring suspension instead of the original leaf packs.

2015 Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car burns rubber into SEMA [w/video]

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is showing off a completely redesigned Dodge Charger Funny Car at this year's SEMA Show in Las Vegas and it's ready to blow through the NHRA timing lights next year. Initially, the shape might look like any of the other entrants in its class burning through the quarter mile, but this is the first comprehensive rethink for the racecar's aerodynamics since 2006, says Dodge.
Draped in classy red and black Mopar livery, the 2015 Dodge Charger R/T NHRA Funny Car tries to share the front and rear styling with its roadgoing counterpart, plus the scallops along the side, but this racer is all about crossing the finish line first.
The major goals for the redesign included making the body stronger and lighter without sacrificing aerodynamics, and that has been done with materials like Kevlar and carbon fiber. However, engineers have accomplished even more. By moving the cockpit further back, they've increased engine clearance and improved driver visibility.