What Does the Future Hold for the Next-Generation of Dodge?
Back in 2019, Mike Manley, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) prior to the Stellantis merger, told The Detroit News that, “the current generation of muscle cars won’t enter 2020 the same as they’re known today.”
Well, that didn’t go as well as planned, did it?
We all can guess why, 2020 wasn’t the best year for any industry, brand, or automaker. So, the idea of bringing electrification into the mix of Dodge vehicles took a back seat, and the age of 6.2-liter supercharged V8 powertrains continued to live on. Not only did we get the 2019 Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the 2020 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody, but we also got the Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye and the Dodge Challenger SRT Super Stock. It’s pretty clear any plans to slow down went out the window when Dodge and many automakers tried to bounce back from the May 2020 shut down. In the midst of it all, the FCA and PSA Group merger was still being finalized, and through it all, Stellantis was finally born.
Exciting at first, but talk of how the merger would affect the FCA lineup quickly became a hot topic. With the new automotive group placing a greater focus on hybrids and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the SRT group Dodge is known for was almost disbanded. PSA Peugeot CEO Carlos Tavares holds the tie-breaking vote on the 11-seat board for Stellantis, and he is known for giving brands the axe that under-perform. If Dodge can’t make the switch and make money while also going green, this could be the end of the muscle car automaker as we know it. Tavares is giving Dodge, amongst other brands, ten years to show what the automaker can do.
This, of course, is sparking all sorts of rumors. Just last week, there was a rumor that the next generation Charger will be the first vehicle to come from Dodge that will make use of hybrid technology. Instead of going with the hybrid Dodge Cuda idea that has been floating around the internet, thanks to the FCA registering the Cuda trademark every year for the past several years, fans are falling back onto their favorites. If the Dodge Challenger is going to retire, then long-live the new Dodge Charger. The Dodge Challenger retiring is another rumor that holds little ground, with the automaker claiming that three new variants for both, the Challenger and Charger will soon debut on the new generation models for both vehicles.
Timothy Kuniskis, Chief Executive Officer of Dodge, said “electrification will be the key to high performance in the future.” The automotive group FCA has been slow to adapt, but there have been seeds of growth. The mild-hybrid eTorque system paved the way, and FCA put in a large order for hybrid-ready transmission systems from ZF, known for supplying FCA vehicles with ZF eight-speed transmissions. We even have the Jeep Wrangler 4xe, believe it or not. Dodge is going to go green somehow to meet those strict carbon emission standards, but for now, all we have to go by are rumors as we wait for the reveal.
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