Rumor: Will a Chrysler 300C Hellcat be released in 2018?

Recently, Automotive News dropped a bombshell regarding the development of a Chrysler 300C Hellcat model. In a single line of text buried in a larger breakdown of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles’ current and future lineup, it reads: “In the meantime, Chrysler will put a Hellcat engine in its luxury sedan in late 2018 because why not?”

While there has been no official announcement, or even an off-the-record confirmation to us, there is quite a bit of circumstantial evidence to support the notion.

Photo credit: Brian Williams, SpiedBilde

First, there are the spy-shots that leaked earlier in the year, of a new-model Chrysler 300C with “SRT” badging on the grill, the wheels and tires from the Dodge Demon test mule, upgraded Brembo brakes, and reports of a very strong-sounding powerplant under the hood.

Also to be gleaned from those spy photos, is that the beefy wheels and tires are at all four corners of the car. If we look at what we know as fact, a performance-model of the luxury sedan isn’t a new idea, as the currently-discontinued SRT-8 model of 300C existed in two separate generations of the car.

We also know, via the Challenger GT model, that a stout all-wheel-drive powertrain, capable of handling the abuse dished out in a heavy, powerful passenger car, exists in FCA’s lineup. So if we are allowed to stray from hard facts and get into suppositions (tainted by our own hopes), the idea of a 700-horsepower, supercharged, all-wheel drive, 300C with a performance-oriented suspension and braking system not only makes sense for the lineup (as the AWD would differentiate it from the similar Charger Hellcat), but sounds like an awesome option for the folks who gravitate more toward the elegant, luxurious outward appearance that the 300C offers, over the sporty, muscular look of the Charger.

So while right now all we have are guesses and hopes, those have a way of turning into awesome enthusiast cars.