The Dodge Charger EV Should Have Been a Chrysler

Yahoo

28-03-2025

In 2024, Dodge completely revamped the legendary Charger–long revered as a ferocious muscle car that helped the brand earn its reputation for brutal performance, iconic design, and endearing simplicity. However, with the introduction of its eighth generation, Dodge fundamentally altered what the Charger meant by switching to full-electric power. Gone was the heroic and aggressive Hemi V8 and the tire-torching benefit of rear-wheel drive, and instead, the Charger–once a symbol of old-school American muscle–became a battery-powered insult toward the very people who had always appreciated what the muscle car stood for.
Chevrolet and Ford, on the other hand, smartly decided that their EV-muscle car offerings, such as the Ford Mustang Mach E and Chevrolet Blazer EV SS, should first be practical and sensible EVs that appeal to the unique desires of EV buyers, and performance should simply be a bi-product of powerful battery technology and finely-tuned handling, rather than leaving performance to be the determining factor of its success. With the Dodge Charger, however, Dodge decided to market their first-ever electric vehicle as a two-door high-performance muscle car, which was a mistake that destined them for failure.
Reception for the all-electric Dodge Charger was so poor that the brand just recently announced that it could be completely reverting course and bringing the Hemi V8 back into production and into the Charger, as per Car And Driver. Even before Dodge announced the return of the V8, the brand decided to rush production of its straight-six powered petrol version of the Charger, specifically citing the extreme lack of demand for its full-EV version, as per our very own Gabriel Ionica. That version should hopefully debut at some point this summer.
Where the Charger EV truly failed, however, was that it represented a decision from a major auto manufacturer to replace one of the most visceral, mind-rush-inducing experiences that people can spend their hard earned dollar on (i.e., the Charger Hellcat and Challenger Demon) with a conceited, soulless simulacra of its former self. The Charger EV even has simulated "engine noises" that are merely low-fidelity recordings of a V8 engine pumped through its interior speakers. That provided far less excitement than just playing Forza Horizon 5 with an Xbox controller because at least in Forza, the car sounds aren't lies.
As Dodge scrambles to return the Charger to its former glory with glorious V8 engines, I have high hopes for their strategy. I think the new Charger, at the very least, is a spectacular-looking muscle car, and I believe that Tim Kuniskis can bring the automaker's products back on track. However, despite the sacrilege of the Dodge Charger EV tainting the legacy of the iconic muscle car nameplate, I do believe that a second crime of that model is the utter waste of a reasonably solid EV platform. It's a huge waste, in my opinion, for Stellantis not to employ the same platform developed to underpin the Charger in models that will better appeal to actual EV buyers. Stellantis actually has a brand that is desperate for more products to sell–Chrysler–so why didn't Chrysler get their own EV lineup to sell?
Chrysler is down to just two models in its lineup–the Pacifica and the Voyager–both of which are actually just different variants of the exact same minivan, meaning they really only sell just one car in their showrooms. What happened to the days of the Chrysler cloud cars, the stately and extroverted 300 sedan, the quirky but invigorating Crossfire, and the towering V8-powered Aspen SUV?
Not only does Chrysler desperately need an EV offering to sell, they desperately need an entire lineup of vehicles to sell. I can't help but wonder why Stellantis doesn't take the Charger EV platform–which failed as a muscle car, but might not fail as a semi-luxury sedan or crossover–and give it to Chrysler so that they have a few more models to sell and the EV platform gains a purpose.
Curiously enough, Chrysler already had developed a fully-electric, 5-door SUV that was production-ready, named the Airflow EV, as pictured above. It was meant to arrive for the 2025 model year, but instead, Stellantis decided to sell the vehicle branded as the Jeep Wagoneer S. While I agree that branding the electric SUV as a Jeep was a smart move, I think that not also offering it as a Chrysler is a huge missed opportunity for the brand. With 600 horsepower, all-wheel drive, over 300 miles of range, and a 0-60 time of just 3.4 seconds, the specs of the Jeep Wagoneer S would be perfectly suited to a more luxurious, less-rugged alternative badged as a Chrysler Airflow.
Hopefully, now that former CEO Carlos Tavares is gone from Stellantis, Chrysler can make the case to revert course and put the Airflow SUV into production, for their own sake and for the sake of American buyers who will soon be paying a lot more for vehicles built outside of the USA thanks to Donald Trump's new 25% tariffs on foreign-imported cars. However, I don't just believe that the Charger EV's platform wouldn't be exceptional as a Chrysler SUV, I also think its performance-oriented handling and driving dynamics could be put to better use as a Chrysler grand-touring halo car, rather than as a Dodge pseudo-muscle car.
Imagine, instead of the Charger EV, which poorly imitates its former muscle car glory, Stellantis decided to use its chassis and setup to underpin a more luxurious, comfort-focused sports coupe. By focusing on a more comfortable sporting experience, an electric Chrysler GT car would make better use of the Charger EV's heavy-weighted handling dynamics. With ample boot room and a spacious cabin, a large Chrysler EV sports coupe, perhaps with a retro-throwback name such as Chrysler Conquest, would look right at home at the golf resort in Palm Springs or at a yacht club in Montauk.
Chrysler desperately needs to give buyers a reason to come to their showrooms, and not just because they also have Dodges, Jeeps, and Rams. An electric Chrysler sport coupe could employ an already-developed platform to get people hyped up about their brand once again. If Jaguar thinks it'll work for them, then surely Chrysler ought to give a try with a vehicle that's already mostly been made for them.
Additionally, an electric, semi-luxury crossover to compete with the likes of the Lexus RZ, the Acura ZDX, and the Cadillac Lyriq, should be of vital importance to the Chrysler brand if they want to maintain any shred of relevance in the next few years. We'd love to see Chrysler succeed, but whether Stellantis plans on actually giving them a chance is something we'll just have to wait and see about.