L.A. Auto Show 2021: Dodge announces end of Hellcat for 2024

Dodge continues to produce models that share their roots with the 1995 Mercedes-Benz W 210. With powerful, thirsty V6 and V8 engines, the Dodge brand has consciously positioned itself in the "bad-guy" corner. Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis wants to maintain this positioning. He first hinted at what is planned for Dodge over the next two years at the LA Auto Show 2021.

Speaking to the platform Motor Authority about the Charger and Challenger models, he said: "I will offer this car, this platform, and this powertrain as we know it until the end of 2023. There's still two years to buy a Hellcat, then it's history." The 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat remained a one-off model: Its engine would no longer meet emission regulations on the SUV platform. This doesn't apply to all Hellcats, as Charger and Challenger will continue to be produced: According to Kuniskis, these cars can still meet emission regulations but would incur CO2 emission penalties, which they do not want to bear. Therefore, Dodge will end the era of Hellcats from 2024 with new platforms, new vehicles, and electrification. Until then, they have prepared 26 "surprises." The finale, at the end of 2024, will be the electric Dodge Muscle Car, which will then herald the turning point. The brand does not want to give up the "bad-guy" appeal, especially since very high performances with a menacing sound can also be achieved electrically.

In the first quarter of 2022, Dodge plans to unveil a concept version of the electric muscle car for 2024. According to Kuniskis, it will be a "fully functional" model that (of course) offers high performance. Dodge will also present the performance data of the electric car and the entire technology, thereby revealing further details about the "large Stellantis e-platform." However, it remains unclear to what extent EU models from Alfa Romeo, DS, or Opel could benefit from this.

Especially since Dodge, according to Kuniskis, plans to approach electrification differently than everyone else:

"That's why I'm waiting until all my patents are finished."

To prevent Dodge's sales figures from plummeting completely, there will also be a plug-in hybrid, which is supposed to be an entirely new model. We guess it will be a mid-size SUV or CUV, which currently promises the highest sales figures and whose base already exists with the Opel Grandland X and Peugeot 3008.

What does this mean?

After withdrawing from Europe, Dodge has retreated into the "Bad-Boys" Hellcat muscle car niche and is represented in Europe only through independent importers like "Geiger Cars." With the current model lineup becoming increasingly outdated, a change is necessary. It will be interesting to see how much of a flagship role the brand will play regarding the major Stellantis E-platform.