[McRat]

GM has the better tech available in their arsenal.

Will they choose to fight Dodge at the brochure, the racetrack, or on the street?

To fight them at the brochure, GM could turbo the 6.2L DI engine like they did with the 3.6L V6 DI engine. 725HP would be available in Cadillac Noise/Vibration/Harseness trim. About 760HP in Chevrolet NVH trim. (556HP LSA = Caddy, 580HP = Chevy). It would be a heavier powertrain than anything GM is now using, but if HP is the only goal, a turbo direct injection V8 is a serious weapon.

To do it at the track, best method is weight reduction.

To do it on the street? Nobody is yet claiming that the Challenger is a better daily driving experience than the Camaro or Mustang, in any trim level.

My jaw dropped at the 707HP announcement by Dodge. But then I started thinking about it more.

Dodge would have had a better car at about the same price by using the Viper engine. Blasphemy? The V10 was a pickup engine in the beginning, and a Viper trim engine was once used in the SRT10 sport truck. I hear the Viper powertrain is nearly 300lb less weight than the Hellcat.

And it's not like Dodge is short of Viper engines. Dodge might have to offer rebates pretty soon if they can't figure out how to sell them.

My prediction is that GM will watch what the Hellcat does for Challenger sales.
Ford's GT500 program did not push the Mustang ahead of the Camaro. And the press Super-Hype of the Z/28 has not had enough time to evaluate yet.

Neither the GT500, ZL1, Z/28, or Hellcat programs are done to sell lots of super expensive musclecars. They are done to sell lots of cheaper musclecars.

I think the next OMFG!!! move will be by Ford. They still haven't matched Camaro sales, even after releasing two Flagship Mustangs, the GT500 and Boss 302 LS. Both the Z/28 and Hellcat are going to get a lot of brand recognition over the next year. Ford needs to wave their flag to keep from becoming out-of-fashion.