Is That a Hemi? No, It's Electric. Dodge Muscle Cars Will Go Full EV

Tim Healey
by Tim Healey


A few days ago, MotorTrend reported that even as the overall market makes a shift towards electrification, the big fuel-sucking V8s that supply so many grins in the Challenger and Charger weren't going anywhere.

A story in MotorAuthority begs to differ.


The MA story quotes Dodge spokesperson Dave Elshoff as saying: "The story was false. As Tim (Kuniskis, company CEO) confirmed to you, the Charger/Challenger platform and its Hemi (V-8) power go away after 2023. The unnamed replacement will be BEV."

It appears the battery-electric car will use the STLA large-car platform, which is meant to support all-wheel-drive performance vehicles. It's one of four platforms under development by parent company Stellantis. The others are STLA Small, STLA Medium, and STLA Frame -- that last one is for body-on-frame trucks and SUVs.

A concept version of an EV muscle car is set to be shown on August 17, just before this year's Woodward Dream Cruise. Expect some special editions of the current Hellcats to be shown, too.

We'll miss the loud, obnoxious, and fast Hellcats, but we'll also note that EVs offer instant torque. So performance isn't dead -- it's just going to sound different.

[Image: Dodge]

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Tim Healey
Tim Healey

Tim Healey grew up around the auto-parts business and has always had a love for cars — his parents joke his first word was “‘Vette”. Despite this, he wanted to pursue a career in sports writing but he ended up falling semi-accidentally into the automotive-journalism industry, first at Consumer Guide Automotive and later at Web2Carz.com. He also worked as an industry analyst at Mintel Group and freelanced for About.com, CarFax, Vehix.com, High Gear Media, Torque News, FutureCar.com, Cars.com, among others, and of course Vertical Scope sites such as AutoGuide.com, Off-Road.com, and HybridCars.com. He’s an urbanite and as such, doesn’t need a daily driver, but if he had one, it would be compact, sporty, and have a manual transmission.

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6 of 17 comments
  • THX1136 THX1136 on Aug 03, 2022

    Glad I've got what will most likely be my last car - 2013 Charger. Not that I have 'some kind of hateful grudge' against EVs - I just won't be able to afford one.

  • TyL TyL on Aug 03, 2022

    There has never been a better time to bring back the Superbird.

  • Kcflyer Kcflyer on Aug 03, 2022

    If the new EV versions offer similar performance at similar prices then good for them. The basic grades would sell just a well i'm guessing. But I have no idea how the hotter versions would appeal to the people who have purchased the current stuff. Interesting experiment. Dodge is playing a round of you bet your company.

    • FreedMike FreedMike on Aug 03, 2022

      Dodge ain’t much of a company, or even a division, at this point. More like a nameplate. They’re niche anyway, so going EV/performance makes sense.



  • Rajac8227 Rajac8227 on Aug 03, 2022

    I would hope Dodge and Chrysler do not disappear.


    Surely now Dodge has the opportunity to source product from Peugeot and FIAT in Europe to fill the void?


    Also, Dodge could sell a new Charger sedan in Europe under the FIAT branding, maybe use the FIAT 132 or Argenta names? Maybe even a FIAT Mirafiori crossover spin-off from the same platform?

    AFAIK, Dodge had the Aries, which was about the same size, unless the Dodge 400 was FIAT 131 size?


    Tofaş, FIAT's Turkish subsidiary could also get this as a captive import too, maybe under the Şahin model name, same EV engines as the Dodge. AFAIK that badge / brand name is dormant right now, but the company exists as part of FIAT.


    Wouldn't this be good for FIAT?


    Would that be a good competitor for the Germans?


    Perhaps a new all-electric crossover hatchback that looks more hatchback-esque than SUV-like, as the 2023 Opel Insignia renderings show?


    That'd make for a good Dodge Spirit and Chrysler 200 crossover and keep some people satisfied.


    The current Opel Insignia couldn't be sold in the US for licensing reasons, AFAIK


    Wouldn't mind a new electric Dodge Avenger sedan, provided it wasn't as bad as the old 2007-2010 model (we only had it three years in the UK); yes, there's room for crossover SUVs, but sedans probably aren't selling because there's not much marketing of them now!


    Some of the older people I know here in the UK want to get rid of their crossovers for a sedan; a friend of mine has had a 2014 Mitsubishi ASX (well, Outlander Sport to Americans, RVR to Canadians) and she wants a sedan, but no Ford Mondeo, and as of this week, no Opel Insignia.


    There's also the issue of Dodge vans, but that's another ball of wax which we probably won't get into here? Remember the Dodge 50, then the Renault 50?


    Nowadays, I doubt we'll see a Dodge van EV in Europe, even though the name was historic there.


    Dodge sold out to Renault IIRC although naming rights for European Dodge vans... complex ball of wax there??


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