During the 2-plus hour Stellantis Strategic Plan presentation that took place Tuesday, CEO Carlos Tavares went over a huge spread of details on the company’s road map, all the way until 2038 in some cases, with the goal of achieving net-zero carbon neutrality around that time frame. To get there, however, seems to mean the sacrifice of successful vehicles and nameplates we know and love. This is particularly true for Dodge, which is said to drop the Hellcat V8 engine in 2024; the same year when an electric muscle car will begin production. Indeed, the days of the muscle car as we know it appear numbered, but Tavares did take the time today to give the high-octane faithful something to be hopeful for; the electric Dodge muscle car will have a sound that we can “hardly imagine.”
One of the more frustrating byproducts of any EV is how silent they are, absent of the drama and vibrations of a powerful V8 engine. It’s almost, dare I say it, un-American. For a company that has a history of producing some of the most high performing muscle cars ever, like the 426 V8 in 1964 to the 840 horsepower Challenger Demon 6.2L V8 most recently, you have to wonder where the expected sound will come from.
While there are no official details yet, we expect it to be more than a Bluetooth speaker linked to your gas pedal producing some engine noise the company attempts to pass off as “cool.” Tavares said in his roundtable that the sound in electric Dodge muscle cars will be unlike anything you can imagine. Additionally, the team at Dodge is currently trying to figure out a way to make it louder and more robust in conjunction with the way you are driving the vehicle.
Dodge is going to bring it’s first all-electric muscle car into the world in 2024 thus endangering the existence of the internal combustion engine iterations of the Charger and Challenger lineups as we know them. Those lineups were the most successful vehicles in muscle car sales overall in 2021. That’s something Dodge brand CEO TIm Kuniskis sees as a byproduct of their ability to market to enthusiasts who are captivated by American muscle cars and the ultimate sense of community that comes with it. Perhaps they will continue their success with the introduction of electrified muscle, we will have to wait until 2024 to find out.
Screenshot via Stellantis.
