Dodge will finish gas-powered Charger and Challenger manufacturing in 2024, to get replaced by electrical fashions, in line with Dodge model CEO Tim Kuniskis as reported by Motor Development.
Earlier this 12 months Dodge introduced that they’d launch the “world’s first battery electrical muscle automobile” in 2024 (nonetheless they outline “muscle automobile,” on condition that we have already got a heavy, American-made, 9-second drag monster, and Ford has a wheelie-pulling electrical Mustang prototype).
We haven’t seen that mannequin but, however now we all know that Dodge will reveal their first electrical idea someday within the subsequent 4 or 5 months, says Kuniskis. It nonetheless gained’t hit manufacturing till 2024, however no less than we’ll get a glimpse of the long run within the first half of subsequent 12 months.
We don’t but know if the electrical mannequin will carry the Charger or Challenger title, however Dodge does acknowledge that these nameplates are beneficial. The brand new electrical muscle vehicles will use the “STLA Massive” platform from dad or mum firm Stellantis. Stellantis introduced their electrification technique earlier this 12 months.
Dodge is asking their two-year plan “By no means Elevate,” an effort to redefine the model, attracting new prospects whereas attempting to nudge gearheads in direction of the trendy age. On the finish of this timeline, Dodge’s fuel muscle vehicles can be out of manufacturing.
Dodge does plan to have a plug-in hybrid go into manufacturing subsequent 12 months, as a brand new mannequin, slightly than an addition to their present mannequin strains.
Electrek’s Take
Dodge, and just about each model/firm previously beneath the Fiat-Chrysler banner, has traditionally been fairly hostile to electrification. Someway in 2021 they nonetheless barely have something electrical, and even hybrids.
The merger with PSA to type Stellantis has helped kick them into gear, and we’re glad that they appear to be coming round, however this effort is kind of late.
Even Dodge has recognized for years that their vehicles can’t stand as much as electrics. Again in 2018, they marketed the Challenger’s “Demon” trim because the quickest 0-100mph manufacturing automobile on this planet… excluding hybrid/electrical fashions (see featured picture above). And in 2015, an offended Hellcat proprietor went viral telling different Hellcat homeowners to cease racing Teslas as a result of he was bored with seeing everybody get embarrassed on the drag strip.
So this actually ought to have occurred earlier. However no less than their EV is coming in two years (supposedly).
It stays to be seen how critical their effort can be. Ending your high-performance fuel fashions in 2024 is kind of a press release, significantly when different corporations making high-performance vehicles haven’t dedicated to as early a date. However however, saying issues like “Dodge is not going to promote electrical vehicles, Dodge will promote American eMuscle” reveals that the corporate nonetheless has a little bit of an outdated mentality to it.
Both means, we hope this effort will assist to vary some minds among the many holdouts (a few of whom have despatched Kuniskis loss of life threats, apparently), and it’s simply one other signal that fuel is lifeless.
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