DETROIT: Earlier this week Automotive News reported that FCA plans to substantially increase production of the popular 707-hp Hellcat engines for the next model year.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will begin airing two new ads for its Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats as well this weekend even though they are sold out of the 2015 model year versions of the vehicles.
The company stopped taking orders for the 707 horsepower versions of the Challenger and Charger in March because demand far exceeded the number of vehicles the company built.
The new 90-second and 30 second ads, which also feature the Dodge Viper GTS, are designed to capture the menacing aspect of the huge, growling engines and are set to the Phil Collins song “In the Air Tonight.”
Both the 30- and 90-second “Predators” ads will run on major entertainment and sports cable networks beginning Sunday including A&E, Bravo, Discovery, Velocity, TBS, TNT and National Geographic.
But what’s the point advertising a car that cannot be purchased? Well, the automaker believes that some ads should be designed to sell cars while other ads are intended to position the brand and make consumers aware of what the brand is all about.
Olivier Francois, the automaker’s chief marketing officer, as well as Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Dodge brand, have both said that the Hellcats are halo vehicles that draw attention and brand awareness to all Dodge models.
“We don’t build Hellcats or Vipers for high volume, we build them as brand positioning statements,” Kuniskis, said in a statement. “These vehicles may be a small percentage of our overall sales but they send a very strong message about the brand personality and attitude.”
Francois said the ads for the two Hellcats drive home the idea that the entire Dodge brand “is America’s mainstream performance brand.”
The Challenger Hellcat, which starts at $59,995, debuted in the U.S. in September with its 6.2-liter, V-8 engine. It was followed by the Charger version about three months later.
Both gas guzzling, earth-shaking models immediately drew attention and generated sales that dramatically exceeded expectations.
FCA increased production twice for the 2015 models and said it has boosted production plans even more for the 2016 model.
The company does not disclose specific sales numbers for the Hellcat models. Last fall Kuniskis said reports that the company would cap production at 1,200 annually were untrue.
Kristin Starnes, a spokeswoman for Dodge, emphasized that some Hellcats that customers have already ordered are still being produced.
Details about the 2016 models will be announced soon. But for now, unless you’ve already ordered one of the cars, you will need to be content with new commercials that begin airing this weekend.
“There will be small gap between when the ad starts running and when we announce plans for the 2016 Dodge Charger and Challenger Hellcats in a few weeks,” Starnes said.
