Latest news with #ChargerEV
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Dodge blames Trump's tariffs for car delay
Shoppers are rejecting Dodge's electric reboot of a classic car — but the automaker is blaming tariffs for a new year-long delay. The company said the entry-level Charger Daytona R/T EV won't arrive at U.S. dealerships in 2026 as originally planned. Bosses say the model has been 'postponed' as it reevaluates US. trade policies — raising the possibility of a 2027 launch instead. The more expensive Scat Pack EV — priced in the mid-$70,000s — is still on sale. Dodge also plans to introduce gas-powered six-cylinder and four-door Charger variants by the end of 2025. Dodge's CEO, Matt McAlear, said it delayed the entry level EV's 'as we continue to assess the effects of US tariff policies.' The Charger is subject to President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariff: it's built in the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. But the bigger issue may be demand. Since launching the Charger EV earlier this year, Dodge has sold fewer than 2,000 units — a far cry from expectations. The first Chargers started rolling off factory lines in January, so the low figure may be partially due to early supply constraints. Still, fewer than 2,000 units is far weaker demand than the company anticipated when it made its big bet. Dealers currently hold around 3,500 unsold units. For years, the Charger coupe and Challenger sedan were Dodge's two most recognizable nameplates. Both were brawny, burbling muscle cars that largely appealed to testosterone-fueled American enthusiasts. Then, in March 2024, Dodge made a shocking move: it axed the Challenger nameplate and committed to offering the Charger as an EV. The battery-powered model promised instant torque, stored 670 horses in the powertrain, and projected engine-like sounds designed to mimic a gas-powered growl. These changes cut against the grain of the typical Charger buyer — many of whom remain skeptical of the EV transition. 'Americans who buy a Charger don't want an EV,' one driver said in a Reddit post. 'This entire product was a really strange decision.' Dodge's parent company has also had a rough ride recently. The automaker has drawn criticism from the Trump administration due to its European ownership. Dodge — which is part of the legacy American brand that owns Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram — has long been considered part of the Detroit 'Big Three' alongside Ford and GM. But in 2021, Dodge became part of Stellantis, a multinational auto conglomerate headquartered in the Netherlands. 'Let's face it, it's owned by Fiat, and most of the engines that go into the cars that are assembled here are from Italy,' President Donald Trump's senior advisor on trade, Peter Navarro, said on CNN. 'I mean, that's not an American company.' The international ownership has made many of its vehicles extremely susceptible to the administrations 25 percent tariffs. Stellantis was the first major company to announce tariff-related American job cuts . It also had to make a humiliating U-turn and reshoot TV ads that said cars were made in the US when they were not. At the same time, the company is seeing lagging interest in its current vehicle lineup. In February, Stellantis reported a staggering 70 percent drop in profits for 2024. Dodge serves as a prime example of the company's struggles. Once known for a robust portfolio of muscle cars, sedans, trucks, and minivans, the brand has shrunk dramatically. Its pickup and commercial vehicle division was spun off into the separate Ram brand, and today Dodge sells just three vehicles: the Charger EV, the Hornet, and the Durango.
Daily Mail
21-05-2025
- Automotive
- Daily Mail
Dodge points finger at Trump's tariffs as it cancels wildly controversial car
Shoppers are rejecting Dodge's electric reboot of a classic car — but the automaker is blaming tariffs for a new year-long delay. The company said the entry-level Charger Daytona R/T EV won't arrive at U.S. dealerships in 2026 as originally planned. Bosses say the model has been 'postponed' as it reevaluates US. trade policies — raising the possibility of a 2027 launch instead. The more expensive Scat Pack EV — priced in the mid-$70,000s — is still on sale. Dodge also plans to introduce gas-powered six-cylinder and four-door Charger variants by the end of 2025. Dodge's CEO, Matt McAlear, said it delayed the entry level EV's 'as we continue to assess the effects of US tariff policies.' The Charger is subject to President Donald Trump's 25 percent tariff: it's built in the Windsor Assembly Plant in Ontario, Canada. But the bigger issue may be demand. Since launching the Charger EV earlier this year, Dodge has sold fewer than 2,000 units — a far cry from expectations. The first Chargers started rolling off factory lines in January, so the low figure may be partially due to early supply constraints. Still, fewer than 2,000 units is far weaker demand than the company anticipated when it made its big bet. Dealers currently hold around 3,500 unsold units. For years, the Charger coupe and Challenger sedan were Dodge's two most recognizable nameplates. Both were brawny, burbling muscle cars that largely appealed to testosterone-fueled American enthusiasts. Then, in March 2024, Dodge made a shocking move: it axed the Challenger nameplate and committed to offering the Charger as an EV. The battery-powered model promised instant torque, stored 670 horses in the powertrain, and projected engine-like sounds designed to mimic a gas-powered growl. These changes cut against the grain of the typical Charger buyer — many of whom remain skeptical of the EV transition. 'Americans who buy a Charger don't want an EV,' one driver said in a Reddit post. 'This entire product was a really strange decision.' Dodge's parent company has also had a rough ride recently. Dodge built a brand image as a masculine, rugged car brand - it now relies on sales of its three-row SUV The automaker has drawn criticism from the Trump administration due to its European ownership. Dodge — which is part of the legacy American brand that owns Chrysler, Jeep, and Ram — has long been considered part of the Detroit 'Big Three' alongside Ford and GM. But in 2021, Dodge became part of Stellantis, a multinational auto conglomerate headquartered in the Netherlands. 'Let's face it, it's owned by Fiat, and most of the engines that go into the cars that are assembled here are from Italy,' President Donald Trump's senior advisor on trade, Peter Navarro, said on CNN. 'I mean, that's not an American company.' The international ownership has made many of its vehicles extremely susceptible to the administrations 25 percent tariffs. Stellantis was the first major company to announce tariff-related American job cuts. It also had to make a humiliating U-turn and reshoot TV ads that said cars were made in the US when they were not. At the same time, the company is seeing lagging interest in its current vehicle lineup. In February, Stellantis reported a staggering 70 percent drop in profits for 2024. Dodge serves as a prime example of the company's struggles. Once known for a robust portfolio of muscle cars, sedans, trucks, and minivans, the brand has shrunk dramatically. Its pickup and commercial vehicle division was spun off into the separate Ram brand, and today Dodge sells just three vehicles: the Charger EV, the Hornet, and the Durango. The Hornet, in particular, has consistently topped the 'days on lot' metric — a measure of how long cars sit unsold at dealerships. In 2024, Dodge had a supply of Hornets that could last more than 400 days, meaning the brand could halt production for over a year and still have inventory to sell.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Dodge Charger EV Should Have Been a Chrysler
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.
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
The Dodge Charger EV Should Have Been a Chrysler
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.
Yahoo
04-02-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Dodge Owners Are Never Giving Up The Yellow Splitter Guard
Remember when Dodge owners started leaving the shipping protectors on their Chargers and Challengers, and enthusiasts the world over began losing their collective minds with rage? The new Charger may have debuted without a single touch of bright yellow on its much smaller splitter, but it seems the aftermarket is willing to step in where Stellantis won't. A new render from widebody manufacturer Waido Kits shows a Charger EV with tacked-on fender flares, forged carbon wheels, a big rear wing, and that oh-so-important splitter. Not only is the entire lip yellow in this vision, the color continues onto the wheels and the rear wing. The result ends up working out well, adding multiple bits of color to an otherwise plain gray body. The dark fender flares help out here, adding their depth as contrast to the light gray of the rendered Charger Daytona, but the real star of the show is that yellow hue that's ripped straight from the splitter guards of yore. The kit is merely a render for now, but adding a bit of color lends some genuinely nice visual flair to the new Charger. Cars don't come in the same bright colors now that they once did, and a little accent splash is always welcome. Everybody loves accent walls in their home, why shouldn't we get the same treatment on our vehicles? The Waido kit is the first widebody we've seen for the new Charger EV, but it's sure to be far from the last. If we're lucky, other companies will pull the same trick and carry the splitter guard accent color into the future. If we're really lucky, we may even be able to get some brave soul to bring back the pink. h/t The Drive For the latest news, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
