Dodge Flexes its Muscles at the Detroit Auto Show

Those folks attending the 2017 North American International Auto Show in Detroit this week will have no problem recognizing what the Dodge brand is all about – with a gorgeous spread of colorful high performance cars and a chance to drive a Hellcat Challenger in the virtual world.

The Dodge brand joins the majority of the FCA brands in the rear-most corner of Detroit’s Cobo Hall relative to the doors through which most attendees enter the show. Dodge fans will have to push through the crowds in the middle of the event to get to that back corner, but when they do, they will be greeted by a beautiful display of American muscle. From front to back, side to side, the Dodge brand display at the 2017 North American International Auto Show leaves no question that this is a performance brand and that emphasis extends to their SUVs as well.

AWD Challenger GT Front and Center
As you approach the Dodge display at the 2017 Detroit Auto Show, the most noticeable vehicles are the bright green Challenger and Viper resting near the edge of the area, but it is a Pentastar-powered Dodge Challenger GT – the first ever all-wheel drive muscle car – on the elevated turntable. Just beyond the Challenger GT are the new Challenger T/A and Charger Daytona, but just past those models sits the rest of the Dodge AWD models, including the Charger, Journey and Durango.

That small spread of all-wheel drive models allows Dodge to display their versatility, but the rest of the area is all about high performance. Joining the Challenger T/A, the Charger Daytona and the Viper near the front of the display are a pair of Hellcats – one Challenger and one Charger – in the new Octane Red exterior paint, along with a pair of 392 Hemi-powered muscle cars in the form of a Scat Pack Charger and a Shaker Challenger.

The five high performance Dodge cars lined up from the front to the back of their brand display account for 3,029 horsepower, and the display as a whole has a very high energy feel. Dodge leaves no question that they are looking to be a performance-minded brand, even in the case of their versatile all-wheel drive models.

Finally, along the rear wall of the Dodge NAIAS display there is a Hellcat Challenger sporting the livery of the Bondurant Racing School cars. That car sits in front of a huge panel of screens and from the driver’s seat, showgoers can virtually drive the Hellcat Challenger around a computer-generated race track. The car even moves front to back and side to side as you brake, accelerate and corner. Other companies might have virtual reality displays, but none give you the opportunity to sit in the world’s most powerful muscle car and use the vehicle’s features to drive the same car in a video game setting.

This is something that Dodge has featured in the past and it has proven to be insanely popular, but for those who want to experience the virtual driving experience of the Hellcat Challenger, this is a great, fun display.

So, if you want to get a good, close-up look at the American leader in high performance vehicle sales, the 2017 North American International Auto Show Dodge display is like a gearhead’s playground. Even without any big news from the Dodge brand, this is still a display that lovers of high performance American cars won't want to miss.