A heat engine for the future Dodge Charger?

Even if fleet electrification is not as laborious what do the “anti” want to say, it is also not as fast as what the “pros” imagine in their dreams. So much so that here and there, some manufacturers are already reviewing, more or less discreetly, the timetable for their transition. Example with the American manufacturer Dodge (Stellantis). He announced in 2022 that the Charger sedan and the Challenger coupe were living their last years in thermal mode. But in the meantime, the news of direct competitors may have changed the situation. On the one hand, Chevrolet ended production of the Camaro, which “frees up” a place in the market. At the same time, Ford launched an all-new Mustang without the slightest trace of electrification. The oval brand will even offer an extreme version, whose big fat V8 will release some 800 horsepower. So maybe at Dodge, we questioned the strategy.

Mopar Insider

In any case, this is what the people of Mopar Insider, a site dedicated to the Dodge, Chrysler, Ram and Jeep brands, which generally enjoys excellent “in-house” connections. According to them, it could finally be that the future Charger sedan will be offered with a 3.0 liter inline 6-cylinder engine, currently available on the Jeep Grand Wagoneer. It develops just over 510 hp, which will be perfectly honorable for a sporty sedan such as the Dodge. As for the electric versions, they would cap the range with powers close to delirium, and would be united under the name Daytona, as for the concept Charger Daytona SRT EV, unveiled in 2022. Another little rumor, by the way: it is said that the production version of the new Dodge will be aesthetically very close to the concept. And this is very good news.

House policy?

At first glance, therefore, all this looks like a backtracking on electrification. But in our opinion, it’s all about the choice of words and the way you communicate. Remember that Dodge is Stellantis. And that at Stellantis, we prefer to develop mixed platforms, ready for both 100% electric versions and versions equipped with internal combustion engines. The most recent examples are the small Jeep Avenger and the Fiat 600. These two models, based on the same platform, were initially presented as electric, and nothing but electric. Then when the time came for the launch, we learned that in fact they also existed in thermal versions, with or without hybridization. Back in 2022. It is true that Dodge had announced the final end of the V8-powered Chargers and Challengers, and that the next generation would be electric. But it has never been said “only electric”. At Stellantis, we obviously know what to say when.

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