Stellantis is going through changes. Big ones. Top-down leadership moves are actively recharting each brand’s path, with Dodge CEO Matt McAlear telling us “V8 is no longer a bad word around the company.” That change didn’t come until after the electric Charger Daytona launch, which has been criticized continually by people who just want big-displacement gas engines. McAlear admits that all the harshness “stings,” but insists it’s the right move while hinting at a V8 comeback for the iconic model. But what about things that aren’t the Charger?
Dodge once built an impressive—world-beating, even—sports car, but no longer. Meanwhile, Chevy has just turned in one of the most ridiculous rear-wheel drive vehicles ever built (especially for the money) and Ford is launching a Mustang that recently laid waste to a record Dodge previously held.
So, that all leads to one question: What about the Viper? McAlear’s response was an interesting one. In it were multiple parts that opened up an unexpected possibility, like Dodge potentially recreating the original Viper moment with a car people can actually afford.
“One of my favorite cars,” McAlear quipped when we brought up the long-hood legend.
A simple statement, not an answer. So, we tried a different question: Is there a need for a halo model beyond what Dodge can do on the Charger platform? Is there a need, in other words, for something like the iconic, V10-powered monster?
“Is there a need? I don’t know if there’s a need,” the CEO added. “Is there a want, a desire, and a market? I think yeah. I think there’s a market for two things. There’s a market for an entry-level halo and a top-of-the-line halo.”
With that, McAlear introduced an entirely new element to the conversation—the prospect of an “entry-level halo.” So of course, we pressed. What would that even look like from Dodge?
“I don’t know what I’d compare it to,” he said. “I think there’s inspiration in seeing what some of the powersports companies have done. Not only the crazy side-by-sides, but the three-wheelers, the Slingshots, I think there’s something there.”
“Everyone has so many hobbies these days, they want to spend their money on so many different things,” McAlear continued. “It’s tough to be all-in on one thing, put all my chips in one basket and say, ‘I gotta have that car.’
“It’s great for those who can afford it, but not all of us can or want to do that.”
The cheapest “fun” car in a Dodge showroom these days is the Charger, and until new models are introduced, put simply, “cheapest” isn’t the same as “cheap.” After destination, the most affordable one you can buy stickers for more than $60,000. The question is, then, what can people afford?
“I think there’s some kind of entry-level, back to that sub-$30,000 mark,” he said. “I think there’s a market for people who just want to have that weekend car again, who would like a Viper, but don’t have that $100 or $120K. Something that doesn’t need all the safety features, doesn’t need the heated seats. Just a car.”
Call me crazy, but is McAlear describing a Miata? Or, to go deep into the company’s backlog of performance concepts, the Dodge Demon. Long before the nameplate was used for a line of drag-strip-menacing Challengers, it graced a two-seat roadster that made the rounds briefly during Chrysler’s Cerberus era.
We’re sold just on spec, but it has been 18 years since we last saw this baby sports car, and that’s an awful long time to hold our breath. So what needs to change in order for a project like this to get the green light?
“I think there’s opportunity. I think that’s one of the things with the Charger. It’s kind of a utility vehicle if you need it, AWD will get you through the winter, it can be more things to more people,” McAlear said. “But if we’re gonna do future products, we need to get original like the Viper. It’s gotta come to market and be unique and different and Dodge. Not a Corvette fighter, not a Mustang fighter. That’s why we’ve never said we want to go after Mustang or Camaro, right? We’ve always been in a straight line, different kind of performance.”
And that’s great for buyers who want fun cars, but what about everybody else? Dodge’s showrooms are conspicuously empty, and while trucks may rule the roost over at Stellantis these days, McAlear and other company execs are aware of the lack of affordable options. The vast majority of car buyers just want to go from A to B without venturing someplace where you might need drag radials or locking differentials. For now, the only truly accessible car at a Dodge dealership is the Hornet, and while Dodge is working to make it cheaper, it’s still just one car. Will more attainable commuter vehicles join the lineup?
“Having a value play just to get people on the showroom floor is important, and I think we have to do a better job making our vehicles affordable for the masses. But it’s not just doing a vehicle to do a vehicle,” McAlear said.
Fortunately, as he puts it, “Dodge doesn’t have to be everything to everybody.”
“The beauty of the Stellantis showroom is that we have different brands that can offer different things to stand for,” he said. “We can have two, three, four products and as long as they’re honed in and truly stand for Dodge, that’s all we need to focus on.”
And McAlear stresses that there’s more to value than just the sticker price.
“One of the things we’ve always done well at Dodge is knowing we have to be different, stand out, have best-in-class claims, we have to have performance first,” he said. “Even with Hornet, we have best-in-class performance for a compact utility vehicle. You look at the R/T, the plug-in hybrid, it has V8-like torque. So price is absolutely important, but we’re not in the business of doing commoditized products just to be in the segment to do it in price only.”
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