Durango Hellcat Owners Sue Dodge Over Alleged Exclusivity Breach
Dodge is facing a class-action lawsuit from a group of 2021 Durango Hellcat owners who claim the automaker misled them about the SUV's exclusivity. The lawsuit, filed in Delaware, alleges that Dodge falsely marketed the high-performance vehicle as a limited-production model, only to revive it for later model years.
At the time of its initial release, Dodge announced that the 2021 Durango Hellcat would be a one-year-only special edition, with press materials and statements reinforcing its limited availability. The company initially planned to produce 2,000 units, later expanding to 3,000. In January 2021, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis reaffirmed the model's exclusivity, calling it a "single model-year run" and emphasizing its rarity.
However, Dodge reversed course in 2022, announcing that the Durango Hellcat would return for the 2023 model year. This decision angered early buyers who had purchased the vehicle under the impression that its scarcity would make it a valuable investment. Seven plaintiffs initially sued, but their case stalled in mediation before being revived in court.
The lawsuit contends that if buyers had known Dodge would continue producing the Durango Hellcat, they wouldn't have paid premium prices for what they believed was a rare, high-value collector's item. Plaintiffs claim Dodge's marketing directly influenced their decision to buy the vehicle, and they argue that the automaker's actions have devalued their investments.
Dodge, now part of Stellantis, has defended its position, arguing that it never explicitly stated the Durango Hellcat would never return. The company claims that production constraints caused by the COVID-19 pandemic initially limited production, rather than an intentional strategy to create exclusivity.
The outcome of the case could have broader implications for automakers and how they market limited-production vehicles.
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