It feels weird to say that one of the best performance SUVs money can buy is a Dodge. That’s like saying one of the best pizzas in the world comes from Philadelphia. It’s not necessarily wrong, it’s just not where you’d expect something like that to come from. The Durango Hellcat is a masterful display of ridiculous horsepower that doesn’t sacrifice the mission of Dodge’s family hauler, but it has been controversial. It actually spawned a lawsuit over allegations of false advertising, a case that probably didn’t go the way the plaintiffs expected and certainly not the way they hoped.
In the beginning, the Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat was a limited-run special edition. As the brand announced in a press release, “Dodge will build the Durango SRT Hellcat for the 2021 model year only.” Once the last 2021 example of this 710-horsepower SUV rolled out of the Jefferson North factory, the plan was to close the chapter. Indeed, when the order books opened for the 2022 Durango, the Hellcat option was nowhere to be found.
That all changed in 2023, when the Durango SRT Hellcat made a comeback. Anyone who loved fast SUVs that actually rode well was thrilled, but a select group of owners were unhappy that their limited-production vehicles weren’t quite so limited anymore. Unhappy enough to file a lawsuit seeking more than $5 million in damages, as Automotive News reported:
Seven customers say they paid more for their vehicle “than they otherwise would have” and, had they known Dodge would build the Durango Hellcat beyond the 2021 model, possibly “would not have purchased the vehicle at all.”
It’s a bold claim, and it’s hard to attribute it solely to Dodge. After all, people have the choice to either buy or not buy a vehicle, and a purported limited-run doesn’t necessarily elevate a car’s value. For instance, the Rimac Nevera is a limited-production hypercar, and second-hand examples have absolutely depreciated. In addition, final retail pricing isn’t set by the manufacturer. If buyers were to pay dealer markup, wouldn’t that part theoretically be on the dealer?
Anyway, it took quite a while for this case to work its way through the courts, but a verdict was reached on Thursday, nearly three years after the suit was filed. As Automotive News reports, Stellantis has won the case.
U.S. District Judge Jennifer Hall in Wilmington, Del., however, found no proof that the manufacturer intended to renege on its promises, or that its statements amounted to an express warranty.
She also said the automaker didn’t violate state consumer fraud laws “where the alleged ‘misrepresentation’ pertained to intended future conduct and was true when made.”
So what does that mean? Well, we need to take a step back and explain burden of proof, with the disclaimer that I am not a lawyer and this in no way constitutes legal advice. In civil cases, plaintiffs must be able to successfully argue that a claim is more likely to be true than it is likely to be false. This is generally referred to as preponderance of the evidence.
Back in 2021, the Durango SRT Hellcat was a one-and-done vehicle. Dodge later decided to revive the model. Therefore, it was up to the plaintiffs to prove that Dodge more likely than not had plans to resume Durango SRT Hellcat production two years after the model’s initial run. While I am not privy to evidence entered in the case, Judge Jennifer Hall found that Dodge’s statements back in 2021 were accurate at the time.
While it’s understandable that some owners would feel slighted by the reintroduction of the Durango SRT Hellcat for 2023, most cars are terrible value propositions. Outside of blue-chip collector items like limited-edition Ferraris and the like, even many appreciating cars don’t beat inflation, and that’s before you factor in carrying costs like storage, maintenance, and insurance. Buy a car because you like it, not because of its rarity or potential future value. In the case of this 710-horsepower SUV, it’s hard not to like it.
Top graphic image: Dodge
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