Startech can get 243 out of it with new cams and an exhaust and 233 with just the camshaft. It seems to me that DC could revise the cam at a relatively small cost and bump the power up a bit right out of the box. But that will probably mean that they have to get the whole engine re-certified by the smog police before they could sell it again.

I once had the chance to sit down and talk to Erik Buell (the guy behind Buell motorcycles) and I asked him why he was using off the shelf lights and switchgear from a Ducati on one of his bikes. The answer he gave me was the cost of getting new ones approved by DOT was horrendously expensive. It would cost the company something like $10,000 to design and certify a turn signal. At a time when Buell was cranking-out 3,000 units a year its easy to see why they couldn't justify the cost of more custom development on their bike. Maybe DC is in the same boat. Yes, they know it's a bit down on HP but the cost of bumping up the power and getting the whole thing re-certified is probably too prohibitive. They opted to let the aftermarket handle that problem.

HELLO, AFTERMARKET! ARE YOU LISTENING??

 

Buell's solution was clever. More clever still - ever notice that the rear liftgate and tail lamps from the first generation Durango look awfully familiar? That's because they are, to anyone that has owned a Dodge Caravan, Plymouth Voyager, or Chrysler Town and Country of the same vintage. If a company can reuse their own parts, they not only get a huge cost savings since the components are already engineered and (if necessary) certified, but also the volumes they purchase in go up (and there is usually a price break for volume).

Off topic, but I thought you might find it interesting.

 

On a side note, I think the Jeep Liberty and the new Durango use the same tail light as well. Also the new Viper coupe is supposed to have the same tail light as the old GTS. Sure hope Chrysler saves enough money to build the new Challenger.