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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