Slideshow: Dodge is a Demon in the Art of Hype
Despite a short and limited run, the Demon's sure to go down in Dodge history as one of the legends. As incredible as the car is for its engineering, the Demon's greatest success arguably lies in the wild success of its marketing and hype.
1. Designed to cause a stir
The Dodge Demon has made waves with people in a way almost never seen in the current auto industry. Talk of the Demon's 840 horsepower is usually enough to send the layperson into cahoots. If someone isn't much for numbers and tech specs, well, it's the first production car designed that can accelerate enough to pull a wheelie. Considering there's scarcely an opportunity for most owners to exercise the abilities of the stock Challenger the Demon was based upon, the Demon can come across as some garishly excessive powerhouse. While it certainly is that, we can leave praise of the Demon's performance for another time. The point to make today is that the Demon gave people many reasons to get talking about it. Although the car's engineering is far too impressive to dismiss it as some publicity stunt, the Demon's managed to spark up excitement around the Dodge name—and you had better believe that ultimately translates into greater sales.
2. A slap in the face of modern political correctness?
It goes without saying a car this bold was going to attract its share of detractors. It didn't take long to come across an article that speculates whether the Demon should be banned outright for being too powerful. Sheesh.
There's that oft-repeated idiom that "all publicity is good publicity." While that may not apply to all situations in the auto industry, a little moral outrage wasn't exactly going to play against the Demon's desired edge-factor. It shouldn't need to be said that calling it the Demon was going to rile some feathers. Taken in stride, this brash presentation gives it an exciting whiff of danger that arguably got lost in a lot of modern muscle car designs.
3. These features could sell themselves
The sheer amount of records that the Demon managed to break essentially racks up as free advertising. As we mentioned before, too, the idea of a wheelie car suggests something incredible even if someone knows nothing about cars.
4. Good hype depends on a strong product
Someone doesn't need to have driven the Dodge Demon for themselves to buy into tales of its excellent engineering. It's easy to believe the Demon is every bit as strong as reports make it out to be. Of course, hype and flash alone don't get far if there isn't the essential quality to back it up.
5. But wait, there's a version for the rest of us!
Dodge would never have created the Demon with publicity as the end goal. As with any other business, sales and profits drive the bottom line. The Demon's base MRSP of $84,995 is pretty up there relative to your standard Dodge fare, but with only three thousand-odd Demons getting sold in the US, sales of the Demon itself aren't the main draw. It's all the other people who don't end up with a Demon but might get enthused enough to buy similar (and sufficiently available) Charger or Challenger models that have helped Dodge see their profits rise. The Demon may be leagues stronger than its little brothers, but its example creates a great impression across the entire family.
6. Short-lived and forever remembered
It's in the nature of legends and heroes never to overstay their welcome. A hot-button event car like the Demon would be lucky to keep up the excitement about a year at most, but familiarity is often a short step away from boredom. Not that we think anyone was ever at risk of being totally nonplussed towards one of these monsters, but Dodge made the right decision in limited the number and run to a single year.
Yes—there's only going to be one year of the Demon. Despite the intense success, Dodge has repeatedly made it clear that they won't be extending the production past the 2018 run. On the one hand, making a second batch might not be seen as fair to the buyers of the originals, who did so with the understanding they were getting a rare machine. On the other, the tight lid on Demon production could be for everyone who doesn't have one. After all, if one was available for everyone to buy, they wouldn't feel as special or exclusive, and if they were less special, the magic would fade.
The Dodge Demon was a car that inspired awe in people, and Dodge did a great job of wringing out the most in it. If you want to read more about the amazing Dodge Demon from the official source, we can save you the search by clicking here.
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