What just happened? Dodge in a recently published teaser video stated that it "will not sell electric cars," but that it will sell American eMuscle. "If a charger can make a Charger quicker, we're in," said Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis. So what exactly does that mean?
Kuniskis said Dodge engineers are reaching a practical limit of what they can squeeze from internal combustion innovation. "They know... electric motors can give us more," Kuniskis added, "and if we know of a technology that can give our customers an advantage, we have an obligation to embrace it."
So yeah, Dodge is going to sell electric cars, but they'll address the performance category first.
Dodge's five-minute-long video was mostly marketing talk and light on actual details, but we did get to see some shadowy renders at the end. From what we can tell, Dodge's electric muscle car might be modeled after the classic Challenger - perhaps even more so than the modern Challenger. Or, does it look more like a classic Charger? It's hard to tell with all the smoke and darkness.
At the end of the clip, we see the vehicle performing an all-wheel-drive burnout, a huge hint that Dodge's electric muscle car will put down power to all four wheels. It also appears as though Dodge is modernizing its classic triangular logo, and maybe even illuminating it.
Dodge's eMuscle vehicle is expected to arrive in 2024. If it can stay true to Dodge's muscle car roots, it could eventually win over petrolheads. Still, I suspect many are going to miss the roar of a powerful combustion engine.