Dodge enthusiasts have been eagerly awaiting the release of the 2023 Dodge Charger and Challenger inventory, and in late October, Dodge announced the “Dodge Horsepower Locator” – a tool that allows potential customers to find dealer allocations for their desired models.
The locator covers everything from Pentastar-powered cars to the limited edition “Last Call” allocations for the 2023 model year. However, despite the hype and anticipation, it seems that a majority of the “Last Call” models are still available for purchase, despite being limited edition vehicles.
The “Last Call” series has received criticism for being nothing more than sticker packages, with the exception of the Dodge Charger Super Bee and now the Challenger SRT Demon 170. However, Dodge has opened up its Jailbreak program, allowing customers to create their ultimate vehicle with no limitations for their HELLCAT and HELLCAT Redeye models for 2023. Despite this, dealers have already built hundreds of HELLCAT models, raising questions about the scarcity of these limited edition vehicles.
Dodge had previously announced that only a certain number of HELLCATs would be built for 2023 and they would be awarded to the top 500 volume dealerships in Challenger and Charger sales allocation of its “Last Call” series. The top 200 dealers would receive 12 special-edition models, dealers 201-300 in sales would receive 10 special-edition models, and dealers in the 301-500 range would receive six special-edition models. However, the “Dodge Horsepower Locator” suggests that a majority of the allocations are still available, despite this being the final year of production for the muscle cars.
There are two main factors contributing to this: rising interest rates and dealers placing huge markups on HELLCAT and “Last Call” models ranging from $10,000 to $50,000. As the U.S. sits on the border of a recession, interest rates continue to be high, resulting in extremely high monthly payments for a car. Meanwhile, dealers are willing to sit on the car and wait for someone willing to pay over sticker price, ultimately punishing true enthusiasts.
One YouTube vlogger (@OCMotivator), recently made a video about this exact topic. Calling one dealership, which basically told him that they are willing to sit on the cars at an increase of $50,000, rather than offering them at sticker or a mild increase.
The Chrysler brand launched a special reservation program for the 2023 Chrysler 300C limited edition, comprising of 2,000 units for sale in the U.S. Customers could select their preferred color, dealer, and submit a deposit. Within 12 hours of the launch, all 2,000 cars were sold out, but some customers later backed out. In such cases, the car was offered to the next person in line on the reservation list.
Chrysler also instructed its dealers that if an order was canceled, the car would be offered to another customer on the reservation list, and the dealer would not keep the car. Moreover, the price had to be agreed upon between the customer and dealer before placing an order, and Chrysler strongly recommended that dealers stick to the Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP). That method seemed to be more in the interest of the enthusiasts.
While the “Dodge Horsepower Locator” may have created excitement among Dodge enthusiasts, it seems that the scarcity of limited edition models has been exaggerated. The rising interest rates and dealer markups have made it difficult for true enthusiasts to get their hands on these vehicles, which is a disappointment for those who have been eagerly awaiting their release.
