Image Credit: DriveSRT.com

Who wouldn’t want the Hellcat, a supercharged-hemi that cranks out 707 horsepower? Many are reporting how amazing of a deal it is starting at just $59,995. Or is it? Before the order banks had opened back in July, Torque News reported there were some dealerships charging 15k just to pre-order the Hellcat. Serious inquiries only? That’s an understatement. While the dealership they spoke with confirmed they were marking up the price by $10k the dealership wasn’t shy in stating that other dealerships around them were marking up the prices by $20k. So is this practice all that outrageous?

The new Corvette Stingray had crazy markups but that all eventually calmed down. Expect the Hellcat to have the same. It is, after all, the first supercharged Hemi ever. Of course the supply compared to the demand will raise the prices.

But there is some good news out there. Automotive News reported that Dodge will base dealer allocation of the Hellcat on all Dodge vehicles that the dealer sells within 180 days. Automotive News quotes Tim Kuniskis as saying, “You sell a lot of Darts for me, Journeys for me, Durangos for me, I’m going to give you the rights to this one, too, because this is a halo of the brand.” Kuniskis also said, “If you want to market-adjust the car, that’s your right. But if your days-on-lot goes above what the other guys that are selling them at MSRP is, they will end up earning the allocation because their days-on-lot will be lower. They’re turning the inventory.”

Moral of the story? Shop around. There are some dealers that will understand this concept that if they move their inventory they will get more inventory in. This means that MSRP price is attainable.

Good luck and happy Hellcat shopping.