Dodge Challenger Hellcat No Longer Available With a Stick Shift—For Now
The three-pedal option mysteriously became unavailable sometime in 2021.
If you're ordering a Dodge Challenger Hellcat at the moment, there are plenty of wild options to choose from in the online configurator. Whether it's lairy paint colors, decal packs, or four different seatbelt colors, you've got plenty of choices. However, if you're looking to get into a 2022 model, you won't be leaving the dealership dropping the clutch in a cloud of tire smoke. As reported by Road and Track, the manual option has disappeared and it's presently unclear when it's coming back.
While this may be the first you've heard of it, Challenger fans first noticed in 2021 that the six-speed transmission was no longer selectable for new builds. A forum post as far back as April 8th indicated customers were struggling to get their hands on three-pedal versions of the Hellcat. Despite regular posts from Stellantis representatives stating that the manual would become available for order late in 2021, it appears that deadline slipped and never happened. Now, we're well into the 2022 model year and the six-speed is still unavailable.
Speaking to The Drive, a Dodge spokesperson stated that a "revised calibration" for the manual powertrain was on the way which would allow the car to be sold once more. This concurs with rumors and speculation in forum posts that the manual tranmission Challenger Hellcat was having trouble meeting emissions standards.
There's no word yet on when orders will open up for manual Challenger Hellcat models. However, Dodge's representative indicated to The Drive that while there is no firm date yet, the situation is very much a temporary one.
It's a frustrating situation for eager buyers who will want to get a Challenger Hellcat before they're gone for good in 2024. Beyond that date, the Dodge V8 roar will be replaced with a "sound you cannot imagine" from the company's electric muscle cars.
If you absolutely must have a manual transmission Challenger, lower-end R/T and Scat Pack models can still be had with three pedals for your tire-shredding pleasure. However, if it's gotta be the big bad Hellcat, you'll have to wait a little longer to get that order in.
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