Latest news with #DodgeChargerDaytonas
USA Today
18-05-2025
- Automotive
- USA Today
Dodge is pulling the plug on electric Charger Daytona R/T amid lackluster sales
Dodge is pulling the plug on electric Charger Daytona R/T amid lackluster sales Show Caption Hide Caption Stellantis: The automaker's history, legacy Explore the history of Stellantis, the automotive giant formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group. Fewer than 2,000 electric Dodge Charger Daytonas sold in the United States in the first three months of 2025. Dodge will launch gas-powered Chargers later this year. Dodge is pulling the plug, so to speak, on its base model electric Charger Daytona, the R/T, as it deals with slow sales, but don't expect what appears to be a limited-edition run of vehicles to turn into collector's items, according to a key industry watcher. 'Rarity does not make a collectible. You need to have demand for it,' said Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for AutoForecast Solutions. 'You can't presume that this will be a Charger Daytona of 1970. They couldn't sell those originally and years later they were collectible.' Fiorani said it's risky to bet on a car of today becoming something that brings big dollars in the years to come, even when the numbers of those made and sold are relatively small. Still, Dodge will continue to offer the more powerful and expensive electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack for the upcoming model year, even as it prepares to launch several gas-powered versions. While it's not clear how many Dodge Charger Daytonas will be produced this year, so far the sales picture is showing a fairly light impact. Electric Charger sales – the company did not distinguish between versions – for the first three months of this year were at 1,947. Granted, they were just beginning to arrive in showrooms in January after months of delays. However, the automaker likely had higher hopes. Fiorani noted that he'd recently driven by a Dodge dealership and saw a row of Chargers waiting to be sold. In a statement, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear said 'production of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of U.S. tariff policies. The Charger's flexible, multi-energy STLA Large platform allows us to focus on the Charger Daytona Scat Pack's performance as the world's quickest and most powerful muscle car, add the new four-door model to the Charger mix for the 2026 model year and lean into the new Charger SIXPACK models that will launch in the second half of the year.' Sixpack refers to the engine, the inline-six Hurricane, which will come in 550-horsepower or 420-horsepower variants. The current electric Scat Pack promises a peak power base of 630 horsepower with a limited push-button burst to 670 horsepower called the Power Shot. The Dodge website lists the Scat Pack all-wheel drive with a starting price of $73,985, excluding destination charge. Adding gas-powered versions to the lineup is not a surprise, as Dodge had previously said that was the plan. However, the decision, reported earlier by to end the electric R/T's run so soon does highlight how the market has changed, both in terms of the slower adoption of electric vehicles and President Donald Trump's embrace of tariffs. The Charger Daytona is assembled at the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, but the batteries initially were to come from South Korea. Fiorani offered some perspective on the potential tariff impact, however. 'Everybody is leaning on tariffs for every change in production or sales, whether real or not,' he said. Market realities are, however, what they are. 'The idea that an internal combustion engine version would hit the market better at the moment is a strong one,' according to Fiorani. 'Buyers haven't warmed up to EVs as a performance vehicle yet, especially since every EV is a performance model now.' Fiorani noted also that the company's planned shift in production volume toward the gas-powered Charger would also take the focus off the less expensive EV version – the R/T was listed with a starting price of $59,595, not counting destination. '(They) kind of want to focus on the vehicle that will make money versus the entry-level models that will sell on price,' Fiorani said. New car prices surge: Car-buying frenzy continues, pushing new vehicle prices higher The moves for Dodge follow news that Ram is also adjusting its electric plans. Crain's Detroit Business, citing a memo to suppliers, reported this week that the electric Ram 1500 REV would be delayed until summer 2027, a year later than what the automaker told the Free Press in January, and the extended range Ramcharger is being pushed from later this year to early next year. The company, in a statement provided by spokesman Nick Cappa, cited "slowing consumer demand for half-ton" battery electric pickups and noted that "we also are extending the quality validation period for the Range Extended Ram to support a successful launch and the highest build quality." Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@ Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at
Yahoo
25-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Mercedes starts first road tests of solid-state batteries with U.S. startup Factorial
Mercedes-Benz will start testing solid-state batteries on the road this month, in collaboration with Factorial, a U.S. startup that is also partners with Stellantis and Hyundai-Kia. The technology promises 25 percent more range for the same size and weight battery, Mercedes says. The EQS test car is expected to have a range of more than 1,000 km (620 miles). Currently, the maximum range for an EQS is about 800 km. Mercedes since 2021 has invested 'high double-digit millions' in Factorial, which is promoting a lithium-metal anode in its solid-state batteries. The Massachusetts-based company says its Factorial Electrolyte System Technology, or FEST, can be integrated into existing manufacturing for conventional lithium-ion batteries, potentially solving a major issue for solid-state batteries. In general, solid-state batteries offer improved energy density, faster charging and improved safety over conventional 'wet' electrolyte batteries, but they are difficult to produce at scale and no automaker has yet offered them for sale in a mass-produced car. Sign up for the Automotive News Europe Focus on Technology weekly newsletter, looking at advancements in all aspects of the vehicle including performance, autonomous driving, batteries and more. The lithium-ion batteries used until now have a liquid electrolyte and a separator between the negative anode and positive cathode through which ions pass. Solid-state batteries combine the separator and electrolyte in a solid medium. As a result, the cells can be made much thinner. Despite their potential advantages, solid-state batteries have remained just out of reach for the auto industry. Researchers and startups are still experimenting with electrolyte materials, and problems remain with brittleness. For the test cars, Mercedes-Benz and its AMG High Performance Powertrains division, based in the U.K., developed and patented a new solid-state battery pack. The patent is based on a 'floating' cell carrier to accommodate changes to the battery material when charging and discharging. When the battery is charging, the materials expand, and they contract when the battery is discharging. The floating carrier includes pneumatic actuators. Laboratory vehicle tests were conducted in Germany at the end of last year. Mercedes did not give a timeline for mass production Feb. 20 at its capital markets day, where it announced the tests with Factorial, although several years ago it pointed to 2028 as a goal. Factorial says that the Mercedes test is the first time that lithium metal solid-state batteries have been integrated into a production vehicle. Stellantis, which has invested $75 million in Factorial and has also been a partner since 2021, is slightly behind Mercedes in testing the company's batteries. It said in October that it would have a demonstration fleet of Dodge Charger Daytonas on the STLA Large platform on the road in 2026. Hyundai and Kia also announced their partnership with Factorial in 2021 with an undisclosed investment. They plan to start vehicle testing this year and are aiming for a production date of 2030. Other automakers have given varying time frames for solid-state batteries. BMW said last week that the technology was still too expensive to commercialize and would focus on developing lithium-ion batteries. Martin Schuster, BMW's vice president of next-generation battery technologies, said it would be eight years before solid-state batteries became necessary, according to a report in Autocar magazine. Renault, which several years ago announced a partnership with Airbus on solid-state batteries, is now focusing on cobalt-free lithium ion batteries, although it says solid state remains a goal. Volkswagen Group is working on solid-state batteries through a partnership with U.S.-based QuantumScape. Toyota has been testing solid-state batteries in vehicles for several years, and has said that it will have 'limited production' of solid-state EVs in 2025. BYD, the Chinese EV giant that makes its own battery cells, said recently that it would introduce solid-state batteries in 2027, with mass production by 2030.
