Customer deliveries of the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat don’t begin until early 2021, but there are a few pre-production examples out there in the hands of company employees. The temptation of having the much-anticipated model before anyone else was apparently too much to resist for some crooks in Detroit, Mopar Insiders reported.
According to a Facebook post, a group of criminals rolled up on the pre-production SUV in the wee hours of the morning. These folks were apparently pros because two of them were able to break into the Durango and driving away within three minutes. There was also a lookout vehicle.
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The thieves stole the Durango from Saint Claire Shores – a suburb northeast of Detroit. Pings from the vehicle’s Uconnect system showed it was left at an address on Alter Road – a distance of only 10.8 miles, according to Google Maps. The Dodge employee gave the location to police. In an odd coincidence, Alter Road is only a few miles away from the Jefferson North Assembly Plant that builds the Durango.
The Durango SRT Hellcat will only be available for the 2021 model year. Pricing for it starts at $80,995 (plus a $1,495 destination charge), but getting every option takes the cost to nearly $100,000.
The Durango SRT Hellcat uses its supercharged V8 to reach 60 miles per hour (96 kilometers per hour) in just 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 180 mph (290 kph). The quarter-mile requires just 11.5 seconds. Plus, it can even tow 8,700 pounds (3,946 kilograms).
Dodge is not specifically limiting Durango SRT Hellcat production, but it only intends to build them for around six months. Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis expects the company to make less than 2,000 units in that time, which ensures the vehicle’s rarity.