Dodge is a company known for its macho muscle car image. But in many ways, that’s an image that’s stuck in the wrong decade—the company’s plans for future electric cars haven’t always been clear. We don’t have to wait any longer, though, as today Dodge detailed its electrification plans and there’s some interesting news. For starters: yes, an electric muscle car is coming in 2024.
The automaker famous for its powerful Hellcat V8s claims it will always offer a model powered by internal combustion. That being said, the company clearly sees the writing on the wall, and understands the performance electric vehicles can offer. As such, a fully electric muscle car will be available for sale by 2024, with other models also being electrified in order to offer higher performance.
Details are still thin, but to make the brand’s vision clear, Dodge’s CEO Tim Kuniskis said it’s time to “tear up the streets, not the planet.” And, “If a charger can make a Charger quicker, we’re in.”
Kuniskis was direct; the company “is reaching the limits of what internal combustion can offer.” After all, it has a 6.2-liter V8 making 800 horsepower. He says that if electrification can promise a greater muscle car experience and enriched capability, there’s no reason not to embrace it, and Dodge will.
Obviously, the Dodge brand is partial to internal combustion. It’s defined by the word “Hemi,” in reference to its legendary 426 cubic-inch V8 engine with special, hemispherical combustion chambers. It’s a word still used in Dodge marketing today, and it should tell you that the automaker is far from prepared to leaving its legacy of turning gasoline into fire and noise behind. As such, Dodge has committed that its lineup will—for the foreseeable future—have a gasoline-powered model, even if that means a hybrid.
“If technology can give our customers an advantage, we have a commitment with innovation,” Kuniskis said.
That’s where the electric model comes in. Dodge teased the new electric muscle car with a new logo pictured below and a bit of smoky-burnout video but offered no other concise specs tied to the car itself. We can, however, expect it to sit on one of the platforms below.
The reality is that Dodge doesn’t have much of a choice in electrifying its lineup, but the preview video above makes it clear that the company is feeling pretty good about the electric future. “Electrification is a natural evolution of the muscle car,” Kuniskis said. It believes, at least as far as its EV Day presentation goes, that the best muscle cars yet are still over the horizon.
We’re excited if that turns out to be true.
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