Stellantis Announces $6 Billion Investment into ICE Vehicles
Stellantis seems stuck between electric vehicles and keeping its gasoline models alive. For one, after all that talk about eMuscle and the Dodge Charger as a gasoline model ending with the last generation, the muscle car automaker went right ahead and released a 550-horsepower internal combustion engine (ICE) Charger right alongside the Charger Daytona EV in March 2024. Stellantis is releasing STLA platforms built for future battery-electric vehicles (BEVs), such as the STLA Large platform, and yet, the new ICE Dodge Charger was built on this platform. Now, we have Stellantis announcing a $6 billion investment to keep internal combustion alive.
WHAT?! This just doesn’t make any sense. Why would an automobile group with business plans to release 75 new BEV models by 2030 put so much more money back into ICE vehicles? According to Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 strategy, the future is BEVs and becoming a carbon neutral automaker. Re-investing in ICE vehicles feels and sounds like a step backward, especially when the automotive group claimed to be mostly electric by the end of the decade.
Stellantis is supposed to be introducing new cars, crossovers, and electric trucks like the Ram 1500 REV to the industry. That’s what we thought all of these new STLA platforms were about. Stellantis was designing platforms that followed a pattern and were made with a standard set of components to be more affordable for the automaker in the long run. STLA platforms were designed for front-wheel, rear-wheel, and all-wheel drivetrains, and electric powertrains. According to the latest news from the auto group, these platforms were also intended to be used as ICE platforms all along, designed with enough space to accompany an engine and all its moving parts to make up a powertrain.
We think a lot of this is stemming from the Stellantis Hurricane engine. In 2023, Stellantis released an all-new powertrain for the 2024/2025 Ram 1500 – the new 3.0-liter Hurricane engine. A turbocharged inline-six engine, the Hurricane is available in Standard Output (SO) and High Output (HO) versions so automakers can save money on producing multiple engines for one vehicle. For the Ram 1500 alone, the 3.0-liter Hurricane SO is able to deliver 420 horsepower and 469 lb-ft of torque. For more power, the 3.0-liter Hurricane HO engine can generate up to 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque.
It’s mind-boggling. There was a time when Stellantis was behind the industry when many automakers were already working on electrified options and BEVs for years. Back when Stellantis was separate and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) was on its own, there weren’t any electrified vehicles aside from the Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid. Eventually, years later, Jeep dipped its toes into alternative fuel sources with its 4xe models. It took several more years for Ram to go electric with the 1500 REV and for Dodge to announce and deliver on eMuscle. Even then, when the Dodge Hornet was first released, it was an all-gasoline model with two trims, the GT and GT Plus.
With this latest investment to keep producing ICE models when electric is the future, Stellantis might fall even further behind. But hey, it’s good news for consumers not yet ready to make the change to electric versions of their favorite brand models. What do you think? Is it the right move to invest in ICE models or is it a little too risky? Join the discussion on Aventura Chrysler Jeep Dodge Ram social media.