Dodge’s future is suddenly a lot clearer and it includes electrification but not Hellcats.
We sat down with Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis at the 2021 LA auto show, and he laid out some of what will happen at Dodge over the next two years.
Regarding Hellcat models, Kuniski confirmed to Motor Authority “I will have this car, this platform, this powertrain as we know it through the end of ’23. There’s two more years to buy a Hellcat, then it’s history.”
The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat was a one-and-done model. The three-row people mover was available with a Hellcat engine for a single year. The reason was no secret: that engine would no longer meet emissions regulations on that platform. But that’s not the case for all Hellcats.
“You can still meet emissions with these cars. You’re going to pay a lot of compliance fines,” Kuniskis said, noting a line in the sand had to be drawn.
Starting in 2024, Dodge is moving on from the Hellcat era with new platforms, new cars, and electrification.
Dodge 24 Months Of Muscle calendar
Kuniskis shared a 7×11 piece of cardstock with us called “24 Months of Muscle” that will serve as the roadmap to 2024. This advent calendar for performance enthusiasts features 26 garage doors, four of which have been revealed so far, including the revival of a performance parts program and Direct Connection, plus Jailbreak models for the 2022 Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeyes. Some doors feature symbols that tease what’s coming and not everything is in chronological order, but there are 22 more doors to open.
The finale to these next 24 months and the final door on the calendar is the electric Dodge muscle car set to launch in 2024.
Three big doors will open in the coming year.
Dodge electric concept car teaser
In the first quarter of 2022, Dodge will show a concept version of the electric 2024 muscle car. The concept EV will be a full-on working model capable of high performance driving, according to Kuniskis. Dodge will also reveal the EV’s performance specifications, along with all the technology Stellantis is patenting. The executive said Dodge plans to “do electrification different than everybody else.” “That’s why I’m waiting, until I have all my patents done,” Kuniskis noted.
Another important door will be the introduction of a plug-in hybrid. It’ll be a “new, new car” Kuniskis confirmed, not a current car.
A third big reveal will occur in 2022, but Kuniskis wouldn’t say what it is. “You’re going to be excited about it,” Kuniskis said with a smirk.
Kuniskis also said there will absolutely not be a Hellcat version of the Chrysler Pacifica despite the call to Hellcat all the things. Really, that was just a pipedream given the Pacifica’s front-wheel-drive layout.
As for shoving the Hellcat motor into the Jeep Wrangler, Kuniskis said “that amount of power and that amount of speed while raising the center of gravity, even for me it’s, ah, getting a little edgy. It’s better balanced with the weight of the 392.”