[stein_325i]

Dodge Ditching All Hellcat Models After 2023: Report

Originally Posted by Motor1

We've known for some time that the Hellcat's end was drawing near. Earlier this year, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said as much but the exact end was still ambiguous. Now, it's narrowed down to a model year – 2023 to be specific. Considering 2022 models are just around the corner, the Hellcat's last ride will be upon us before we know it.

That is, provided a recent report from Motor Authority is accurate. We have no reason to believe it isn't, as Dodge boss Kuniskis is once again cited as the source for this latest information. We've contacted Dodge for direct confirmation and we'll update this article with a statement if we receive one, but there's little reason to doubt 2023 as the final year for Hellcat models.

The Durango Hellcat will be gone; it was always intended as a one-and-done model anyway. In August we reported about Kuniskis stating Dodge's new electric muscle car would arrive in 2024. When you line everything up, 2023 becomes an obvious conclusion.

There's just one catch worth noting. That report from August we just mentioned? In it, Kuniskis suggested there could be some overlap between the next-gen electric muscle and outgoing Hellcats. That contradicts the latest statement which definitively ends the supercharged Chargers and Challengers in 2023, which is why we're pushing Dodge for an official statement. But wait, there's more.

In the recent report, Kuniskis stated a functional prototype of the new EV muscle car will appear in 2022. Whether it appears as a so-called near-production vehicle or a wild concept is unknown, but perhaps this could fit the definition of electric and internal-combustion Dodge muscle coexisting. It would be a stretch, but with most major automakers hitting fast-forward on EV development, perhaps the Hellcat replacement could arrive a bit early.

For now, at least, Hemi V8 power is alive and well. Dodge recently unveiled new Jailbreak versions of the SRT Challenger and Charger Redeye models, offering new color options, special badging, and a bump in the 6.2-liter Hellcat's output to 807 horsepower. And we highly doubt this will be the final round of special edition hellkittys before they go unquietly into the night.

[Patton250]

I swear now is the perfect time to start or invest in a tow truck company. World is mad.

[Bimmersandmopars]

Originally Posted by Patton250

I swear now is the perfect time to start or invest in a tow truck company. World is mad.

Meaning more wrecks from people who shouldn't have high horsepower vehicles? Then yes. Agreed.

[Patton250]

Originally Posted by Bimmersandmopars

Meaning more wrecks from people who shouldn't have high horsepower vehicles? Then yes. Agreed.

No. Meaning all the people that are going to run out of battery juice sitting on the side of the freaking road. It’s going to be catastrophic.

[erickonphoenix]

Early artist rendering of the Dodge Duracellcat. I expect a track ready D-cell edition to follow.

[S1nner]

Duracellcat

[Germanauto]

To be clear, there is no official announcement about what the powertrain of the redesigned Charger/Challenger. All we know is that they will be new models on new platforms. ICE could continue to live on alongside an EV model.

[R N M]

So basically Dodge just threw their entire customer base - that has kept this horrendous brand alive for years mind you - under the bus 👎

Well I guess we know what Vin Diesel is driving in Fast 10.

[Sedoy]

Don't freak out. The average American commutes like 16 miles/day and if charged at home you always leave with full (or at least 80%) battery. People without home charges will be able to charge at work, public places, groceries shops etc. Plus post pandemic time everybody sitting home ordering sh!t from Amazon and get their food delivered. Also, it will probably take the industry many years to convert everything to electric. We will be ok.

Originally Posted by Patton250

No. Meaning all the people that are going to run out of battery juice sitting on the side of the freaking road. It’s going to be catastrophic.

[Hegge]

Originally Posted by nerdogray

EV muscle car. Hilarious.

Agreed with this. Awful and pathetic. Just awful.

[Bimmersandmopars]

As someone who has owned a dozen plus different Dodge products, 3 Hellcats, a Demon, and TRX.... all of their products deliver exactly what you expect. Raw power with relative creature comforts. The TRX fit and finish along with their interiors are truly top notch which is what you'd expect from a $100k pickup truck, but for the most part shitty paint, bad wiring, and a potential exhaust manifold gasket leak is all to be expected. Then there's the infamous Hemi tick which is hilarious since it's a characteristic of the motor design, but the new crowd that bought TRX Trucks are much to posh for this known annoyance.

All these things aside. Electric is not a mass calling, yet a mass hysterical movement.

High horsepower and efficient design are something that's easily achieved and the push for EV is more so an adaptation to tech rather than Eco friendliness which was the original push.

I hate to say it, but most EV cars are just flat out boring in design and ability. Sure the Plaid is fast, but the brakes are trash and the overall design is meh..... unless you know what a Plaid looks like.... it just looks like another Model S.

Tim Kuniskis has unique visions that frankly do clash with the brand Identity at times.

What would make sense is a true Hybrid like many of the exotic platforms are creating and mirror what the SF90 has been able to achieve and go from there.

Tech is so cheap now that vision is the only limitation. At the end of the day Dodges market base has been primarily Chargers and Challengers and as of late have had a HUGE urban demographic draw due to price point and "performance". Doubt the same market will seek an EV.

[RM7]

Yes, a few suppliers, vendors and engineers on some of the other boards I peruse are inferring that the major US manufacturers have huge plans and models already ironed out. This is right around the corner and it's going to be open floodgates pretty soon. Solid State battery tech brings range even greater than current fossil fuel cars.

Course, a good % of the people in this thread have SUVs or automatics...so I blame them for killing manual transmissions and sedans.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by nerdogray

Sounds great. Everyone can polish their knobs over how environmentally woke they've become. Every car gets sub-2.0 second 0-60 acceleration and feels and sounds the same everywhere. Or you can pay $500 for the "choose your own acceleration sound" option that'll get piped over a system that will warn you when you've turned the volume up too loud or are listening to "misinformation." I love the future.

Americans basically are begging for this and have been since forever, when all you care about is quarter mile and 0-60...well here is something that will deliver the ultimate in straight-line acceleration. You are welcome.

[AlexFL]

A sad day for the Mopar nation!

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Hegge

Agreed with this. Awful and pathetic. Just awful.

It is the ultimate incarnation of a muscle car. It's exactly what you asked for.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by Sedoy

Don't freak out. The average American commutes like 16 miles/day and if charged at home you always leave with full (or at least 80%) battery. People without home charges will be able to charge at work, public places, groceries shops etc. Plus post pandemic time everybody sitting home ordering sh!t from Amazon and get their food delivered. Also, it will probably take the industry many years to convert everything to electric. We will be ok.

This argument can be used to justify even the most exotic of cars going EV. Not all cars are created to be sensible commuters. Some are purposely engineered to spark emotion in a driver. Sound and vibration (e.g. touch/feel) are two innate human sensory inputs which will disappear with full electrification. Under the latter's umbrella you can also throw in the feeling of changing your own gears and the sensation of gears jerking. All these little things add up.

Sure I'm curious to see how Dodge plans to make their EV muscle cars unique as they claim. But I also think that ICE variants should continue to live on for as long as it's possible.

[PYE46M3]

The day dodge ditches big displacement V8s is the day dodge will become a thing of the past. The only thing keeping them alive is big displacement V8s and trucks. Aint nobody interested in a EV dodge. They still haven't figured out ICE reliability.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by PYE46M3

The day dodge ditches big displacement V8s is the day dodge will become a thing of the past. The only thing keeping them alive is big displacement V8s and trucks. Aint nobody interested in a EV dodge. They still haven't figured out ICE reliability.

I still think people will buy them in droves. The V6s are probably like 90% of sales generally don't sound good but sell well due to their styling and overall image they portray. A lot of their customers tend to be obnoxious/ratchet so as a result many V6 models have cheap nasty exhausts thrown on. I'm curious to see how things will play out.

I do think a lot of their loyal customers will be disappointed, and maybe some will defect to Ford. But I also think a lot of them may stick around in order to have the bragging rights of the fastest muscle car on the block.

[RM7]

Originally Posted by Germanauto

I still think people will buy them in droves. The V6s are probably like 90% of sales generally don't sound good but sell well due to their styling and overall image they portray. A lot of their customers tend to be obnoxious/ratchet so as a result many V6 models have cheap nasty exhausts thrown on. I'm curious to see how things will play out.

I do think a lot of their loyal customers will be disappointed, and maybe some will defect to Ford. But I also think a lot of them may stick around in order to have the bragging rights of the fastest muscle car on the block.

This is exactly why the Challenger and Mustang are better sellers than the Camaro. The Camaro is a better chassis and when equipped with the top powertrains, an extremely capable car, around a track, whatever...but most of the sales are not V8 1LEs, ZL1s, most of the sales are the lesser V6 and I4 cars. And at the lesser engine trims, you'd be stupid to buy the Camaro with it's worse visibility and ergonomics over the easier-to-live-with competition. Sure, a V6 camaro still has a good chassis, but people at the lower price-point aren't going for maximum performance anymore and volume sales easily trump a better performing car for the bottom line. 99% of the people buying a car aren't going for maximum performance.

[Sedoy]

I wasn't even talking about emotions at all, I think most drivers realize that there is no drama with EVs and that's what they want, an appliance type of transportation from point A to point B. And obviously just like now, there will be a market for 1% enthusiasts who care about emotions, noise, racing or whatever else. Not sure why everybody freaking out about soulless EVs, when sadly like 99% of currently sold ICE cars are SUV sized appliance type of transportation.

Originally Posted by Germanauto

This argument can be used to justify even the most exotic of cars going EV. Not all cars are created to be sensible commuters. Some are purposely engineered to spark emotion in a driver. Sound and vibration (e.g. touch/feel) are two innate human sensory inputs which will disappear with full electrification. Under the latter's umbrella you can also throw in the feeling of changing your own gears and the sensation of gears jerking. All these little things add up.

Sure I'm curious to see how Dodge plans to make their EV muscle cars unique as they claim. But I also think that ICE variants should continue to live on for as long as it's possible.

[Germanauto]

Originally Posted by RM7

This is exactly why the Challenger and Mustang are better sellers than the Camaro. The Camaro is a better chassis and when equipped with the top powertrains, an extremely capable car, around a track, whatever...but most of the sales are not V8 1LEs, ZL1s, most of the sales are the lesser V6 and I4 cars. And at the lesser engine trims, you'd be stupid to buy the Camaro with it's worse visibility and ergonomics over the easier-to-live-with competition. Sure, a V6 camaro still has a good chassis, but people at the lower price-point aren't going for maximum performance anymore and volume sales easily trump a better performing car for the bottom line. 99% of the people buying a car aren't going for maximum performance.

It's all about image. Formerly FCA knew that the people who buy muscle cars know nothing about driving dynamics and handling, and would be content driving a big fat American sedan if they didn't desire a mean looking 2-door car. They invested in what matters: marketing, practicality, sound, etc.

GM tried to go full sports car. But nobody in this segment cares about that. I don't even think the Camaro's biggest problem is its lack of visibility or it being too sporty to drive, it's the fact that nobody even remembers it exists.

The Challenger is very present in popular culture, everybody including non-car people know what it is. The Camaro? It hasn't registered in anybody's mind for years.

[Cos270]

Originally Posted by BYEIL

What a douche

But is he wrong?