US performance label SRT celebrates comeback: America's automotive soul is not yet lost

Stellantis is bringing back its legendary performance abbreviation SRT. SRT stands for "Street and Racing Technology" – the name of an in-house tuning department that is now once again responsible for the top models of Chrysler, Dodge, and Jeep. Under the leadership of former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, SRT fell into a coma – since 2021, only the Dodge Durango SRT 392 SUV has been available. As part of a significant expansion of power for Ram and Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis, he is also responsible for rebuilding the SRT department. To do so, he wants to bring together the "best powertrain and vehicle dynamics engineers."

SRT has strong – almost cult – roots: The team, Team Viper, was founded by the team that developed the legendary Dodge Viper, sold from 1992 to 2017. Through a merger with the development team of the visually extroverted Plymouth Prowler and after a few name changes, the performance brand name "SRT" was established in 2004. And the specialists weren't picky when it came to choosing the classes. The compact Dodge SRT-4 (2003 to 2005), which from a US perspective is considered a small car, the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 (2005 to 2006), which is offered as a coupe and roadster, the mid-size sedan Chrysler 300C 392 Hemi SRT-8 (2012) and the off-road vehicle Jeep Grand Cherokee 392 Hemi SRT-8 (also 2012) are among the team's most famous achievements.

Under the reign of Carlos Tavares, who stepped down in December 2024, SRT had no future, just as the US division of Stellantis suffered greatly. Tavares wanted to squeeze even more profits out of the high-margin US brands – and, above all, burdened customers with high prices. He also dictated a move away from V8 engines. This deeply frustrated customers, dealers, employees, and suppliers. Thousands of far too expensive SUVs and pickup trucks from the Dodge, Ram, and Jeep brands rotted away in stockpiles. At times, those in charge temporarily halted production. Only massive discounts helped – and ruined the once-proud margins.

With Antonio Filosa's takeover of the US business, Tim Kuniskis also returned to Dodge and Ram. Kuniskis is a fan of engine power and performance , and he seems to understand US customers considerably better than Tavares. US dealers now feel more comfortable, as they can once again respond to their customers' needs; the customer win-back campaign is in full swing. The groundwork for this was laid by current Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa, who, after Tavares's departure, traveled from factory to factory and dealer to dealer to better understand the needs of employees and customers. Kuniskis has become his most important man in the US market—consequently, Kuniskis is also responsible for the rebuilding of SRT.

On its website, SRT currently offers not only the Dodge Durango SRT 392; the performance specialists also announce a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and a Challenger SRT Hellcat as future models. The revived SRT division also manages Mopar's Direct Connection performance parts program. Mopar (Motor Parts) is a Stellantis-owned supplier that also supplies other companies with motorsport and tuning parts.