During Stellantis’ EV Day, Dodge revealed that it will introduce its first all-electric muscle car in 2024. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis stood next to a veiled vehicle and took a peek at it to reveal a lower front air intake. Afterward, a video showed a retro-styled vehicle with full-width LED daytime running lights doing a four-wheel burnout. We never got any more details about that vehicle. Is it a new addition to the Dodge lineup? A new generation Charger or Challenger? Well, a new report from CarBuzz has revealed that the latter two vehicles are safe from the chopping block.
Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was asked about the Dodge Viper’s future as a battery-electric vehicle during a conference call. While he remains silent on the topic, he happily discussed the next Charger and Challenger. “The Charger and Challenger, absolutely yes,” Tavares told media, confirming that both muscle cars will live on as performance-oriented electric vehicles. Unfortunately, there’s not much known regarding Dodge’s electrification plans other than they will use it for sporting applications. Tavares’ comments, however, seem to hint that there are multiple muscle cars coming to the Dodge lineup. He also told the media that the first electric muscle car will be “very transformational.”
Regardless of how Dodge plans to roll out its battery-electric models, one thing is for sure. It will be the performance brand under the Stellantis umbrella, at least in North America. The Charger and Challenger will continue to spearhead the brand’s image as a creator of muscle cars even in the electric age. While we still don’t know if the vehicle in the teaser is the next Challenger or a third muscle car, likely wearing a revived nameplate like Barracuda, Dodge will be the one catering to enthusiasts.
Alongside Ram and Jeep, Dodge will be one of the main users of the STLA Medium and STLA Large platforms, two of the four architectures developed specifically for battery-electric vehicles. We suspect that the Charger and Challenger could use the STLA Medium or STLA Large architectures, which means they could have a potential range of up to 440 to 500 miles per charge. However, with Dodge’s mission as a performance-oriented brand, don’t expect all of their vehicles to be rated close to those numbers. Higher powered versions will likely sacrifice some range in favor of performance, meaning they’ll likely be rated lower. They’ll likely have an electric motor at each axle, too, effectively giving them AWD and the ability to execute a four-wheel burnout.
If we were to make an educated guess, crossovers will remain a key part of the Dodge lineup especially the Durango. In addition to being a strong seller for the brand, the Durango has established itself as a credible family muscle car with an SRT variant currently packing a 475-hp 6.4-liter V8. A 710-hp Hellcat model was available for one year but quickly sold out. This could continue in the electrified era because of how easy it is to a lot of power from electric motors and a big, energy-dense battery. The instant power delivery could also change the driving experience because you’re no longer waiting for an engine to rev up.
