Dodge Retakes Control of SRT, Announces New Products

Pour one out for performance car maker SRT, which is being consolidated back into the Dodge brand. 

That means that the SRT Viper will be once again be known as the Dodge Viper. Ralph Gilles will remain the Senior vice president of Product Design and President and CEO of Motorsports at Dodge, but will no longer be the CEO of SRT the now defunct brand. Tim Kuniskis will lead the new effort and continue his role as President and CEO of the Dodge Brand.

“I want to thank Ralph for his dedication to the SRT brand,” FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said today. “Under Ralph’s leadership, the SRT brand expanded its vehicle lineup to include more highly customized models and received numerous automotive awards and distinctions.”

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Moving forward, the SRT nameplate will be a “performance halo” under the Dodge brand, Kuniskis said.

As for future vehicles, SRT plans to release a performance version of the Journey crossover in 2017 and a turbocharged, all wheel-drive SRT Dart in 2016. The Viper will be refreshed in 2015 while the SRT Challenger and Charger are due for an update sometime this summer.

The fate of all the other existing SRT vehicles, including the SRT Jeep Grand Cherokee and SRT Chrysler 300 are still unknown.

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