Electric Dodge concept coming in 2022.
Dodge may be best known for its supercharged V-8, but that may soon change as the brand's electric future is fast approaching.
Dodge has already confirmed that its first electric, battery-powered muscle car will be available in 2024, but you won't have to wait until then to see an electric Dodge.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said in an interview with Automotive News (subscription required) published Saturday that the brand's electrification plans will be officially announced in the fourth quarter of 2021, with an electric Dodge concept car to be revealed in 2022.
That is the same year Dodge will launch its first electrified vehicle, a plug-in hybrid that will likely twin with Alfa Romeo's upcoming Tonale compact crossover. Dodge's vehicle is said to be named Hornet.
Kniskis said Dodge intends to be transparent about its electrification plans and is announcing early to attract customers who may not have considered Dodge before, while giving existing fans time to adjust.
"We want to attract a different type of consumer and keep our current consumer," he said. That's very important to us, and that's why we want to present a concept car next year to explain to people exactly what we're trying to do."
Don't expect Dodge to launch an EV with more than 1,000 horsepower; in an interview with Automotive News, Kniskis said that the brand has the capability to launch a 1,200-horsepower EV, but that there is too much wheelspin and that Dodge He stated that it would not be possible to make it faster than what Dodge already offers. He also suggested that a Dodge EV would need to be somewhat more affordable than a car like the 1,020-horsepower Tesla Model S Plaid, which starts at $131,190 including destination. Kniskis did not reveal a price target for the Dodge EV, but said that the $40,000 to $50,000 tier is the heart of the muscle car market.
For future EVs, Dodge has access to four battery-electric platforms currently under development by Sterantis' parent company; these platforms, announced in July, cover 14 Sterantis brands and, in some forms, have up to 500 miles on a charge range.
The platforms include STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large, and STLA Frame (for body-on-frame vehicles) and are designed to be flexible with respect to length and width. They are also designed to accommodate modular drive units that combine an electric motor, transmission, and inverter. These drive units can be used in front-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive, all-wheel drive, and plug-in hybrids, with up to three units per vehicle. Dodge initially expects to use the STLA Large platform.
The good news is that Dodge will continue to offer gas-powered vehicles along with its new electric offerings, at least for a while; Kuniskis confirmed this in an interview with Muscle Cars & Trucks published last week.
"The new platform will be available in 2024. I'm not saying the current cars will die in 2024," he said. 'There may be a little overlap, but it won't be years and years of the classic and the new at the same time.'
This suggests that the Challenger and Charger as we know them may continue to be sold alongside new electrified or fully electric models. Porsche plans a similar strategy with the Macan, with the current gasoline-powered version of the Macan to be sold alongside the new electric Macan, which will be available in 2023.
