2020 Dodge Charger Hellcat: Wide is the New Standard

Just about everyone was enamored with the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody that debuted yesterday at FCA’s annual media preview event, and rightfully so. The designers did a beautiful job of recreating the front and rear fascia to incorporate portions of the wheel arch material, adding large vents up front to give a more muscular design from front to rear.

Of course, the people who don’t like the flared looked, and who would rather see the entire body panels extended up a few inches, don’t like the widebody Charger, but that’s fine – they don’t have to buy one. However, if they want to buy a Hellcat Charger for the 2020 model year, they will have to buy one, as there is no standard-width body package available for the supercharged super-sedan in the coming model year.

Since many people seemed to skin over this fact yesterday, leading to arguments in the various social media groups, I wanted to clear that up today.

2020 Charger Body Packages
So far, we really only know about the 2020 Dodge Charger in Hellcat and Scat Pack form. We know that the Hellcat model comes standard with the new widebody design, the 707-horsepower supercharged Hemi, an 8-speed automatic transmission and 305-millimeter-wide tires all around. We also know that the widebody design is optional on the Scat Pack, meaning that the standard body width, similar to the Chargers on sale today, will be standard.

The Scat Pack will also come with the naturally aspirated, 485-horsepower Hemi and a standard 8-speed automatic transmission.

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With the current body design being standard for the Scat Pack, it is safe to assume that it will be standard on all other models, aside from the SRT Hellcat.

The bottom line here is that there is no standard-width Hellcat Charger coming next year so if you are planning on buying a supercharged sedan and you don’t like the new look, you will want to make sure to find a 2019 in a color that you like before they are gone.

Prices are Probably Going Up
There hasn’t been any pricing announced for the 2020 Dodge Charger yet, but if the widebody package pricing of the current Challenger is any indication, the option on the Charger Scat Pack could be around $6,000, but on the Hellcat with the package being standard, we are likely to see an increase in the “base” Hellcat pricing.

In other words, if you don’t want to spend a whole lot more than the current Dodge Charger Hellcat pricing, you will want to buy a 2019 while they are still available, as the widebody-standard model is very likely to cost at least a few thousand dollars more to start.

Fortunately, for that extra cost, you get wider Pirelli tires that offer improved grip on launch and during cornering, and with the Scat Pack widebody upgrade, you also get the huge Hellcat-style Brembo brakes, so while this package is heavily aesthetic, it isn’t just a pricy dress-up kit.

Frankly, I love the look and I cannot wait to see how the new Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody handles and launches.

Patrick Rall @TheAutoBeard is the Managing Editor of Torque News. Please follow us on Twitter at @TorqueNewsAuto, Facebook and send us tips. You can also Follow Patrick on Youtube.