Elections do have consequences – irrespective of whether you voted. Because others did. One of the consequences of last week’s presidential election is that Dodge just announced it will be bringing the gas-engined version of the new Charger out first – and sooner.
When Dodge canceled the gas-engined Charger (and Challenger) after the end of the 2023 model year, it was announced that the replacement for both models would be a Charger-shaped device. That is to say, a battery-powered app on wheels called Charger. One that needed to be charged for the app to work.Image may be NSFW.
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This was dreary news for fans of the Charger – and Challenger – who like big American cars with big V8 engines. These two were the last of them and their forced retirement – on account of the inability of big V8s or even V6s to “comply” with federal regs designed to force their retirement – was and continues to be a source of pain and resentment for those who like these kinds of cars.
But as tough as it was to accept that the Charger and Challenger were being – effectively – forced off the market by people such as the ones recently repudiated by an electoral and popular vote tsunami – it was insult added to injury to discover that the name would return, affixed to a device.
A battery powered “Charger” being something akin to a gay pride rainbow flag painted on the roof of the General Lee. With Bo and Luke holding hands inside.Image may be NSFW.
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No offense intended.
There is a place – maybe – for battery powered vehicles. But it is not the place once occupied by the Charger and Challenger.
Some believed – as I did and said, publicly – that Dodge cancelling the Charger and Challenger may have been fatal all by itself because it cut out the beating heart of the brand. Dodge without a Charger/Challenger is like VW – back in the day – without a Beetle. But the stake through the heart, arguably, would be to affront the people who loved Dodge because it offered models like the Charger and Challenger by affixing that name to another battery powered device.
Just like everyone else is being – effectively – forced to manufacture.
Another device that looks like a Charger but is not much different from a Tesla. The market needs that like Rachel Levine needs a pair of pants.Image may be NSFW.
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The happy news is that – it appears – Dodge will be bringing forth a Charger that is not a device. The device version is now apparently on the backburner. It was supposed to have been first, with an engine-powered alternative scheduled to arrive second. Now that’s been reversed, according to Mopar Insiders, as well as some inside sources who have told the same – off the record – to this writer. The 2025 Charger SixPack will be powered by a version of the new inline six that has already replaced the V8 in a number of Stellantis (i.e., Jeep and Ram) vehicles. It will be paired up with a hybrid system, of course – because otherwise it could not be “compliant.”
The hybrid system creates a loophole for engined vehicles by shutting off the engine as often as feasible, as when the vehicle is “idling” and when it is coasting or decelerating. This reduces the “emissions” of the environmentally beneficial gas, carbon dioxide – which must be done to comply with the regs. But it also eliminates all of the annoyances that come along for the (short) ride when a device is tethered to a cord. The engine lets you keep on driving – and fueling up takes just a few minutes rather than half an hour or longer.Image may be NSFW.
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This might just save Dodge and just in the nick of time – because Dodge right now is withering on the vine, lacking much to sell. It has the Hornet – a small crossover – and the Durango, a large SUV. And that’s not much to sustain a brand. Or keep dealers in business.
If these dealers were forced – effectively – to take inventory possession of devices they could not sell, it would likely mean the end of these (Dodge) dealerships and thus the Dodge brand, too. But a Charger that does not have to be charged might just attract buyers who want a car that’s at least something more like the old Charger and Challenger under the skin. And the skin does look good. Two and four-door versions are coming – and both do credit to the Charger name.
Elections have consequences.
Maybe, just maybe, the plug can be pulled for good.
. . .
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