Dodge goes electric

[03hemi]

... called the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT®

They implement a fake exhaust sound, just like the Porsche Taycan has. How pathetic is that?! And Porsche makes you pay extra for it... what a mess...

News | Dodge Garage

They hail the so called "800V Banshee propulsion system" but don't say anything about any kind of abilities.

Again, pushing gimmicks to the audience, rather than usability.

I'm out!

It'll be back as a gas chugger not too long after it's release.

 

[Telecaster]

I have a 2012 KIA Sportage Turbo CUV that has been a perfect vehicle. The only thing that it can't do compared to my '97 S10 Blazer is tow. I never towed anything with the Blazer and the KIA has 100 more HP and half again the gas mileage numbers. As said above, it is easy for me and my 82 year old Mom to get into and out of from the medium height. Has decent ground clearance, drives like a car more than a truck and has handled anything I have needed it to do. If I need to haul something too big for it there is always Moms old Honda Odyssey. Pull the seats and it is huge inside.

2018 Sportage here. It's been a great vehicle for me. The only thing I'd do different is get AWD.

My 2010 Chrysler 300 was phenomenal, the only thing that needed fixing in 8 years was the heater core, once.

 

[glowe]

Some people have horror stories about a past car they owned from Ford, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Nissan, Toyota, etc. All of those companies and every model they ever made had their lemons, but I don't think there is any value of sharing individual trials and tribulation over and over again. Stories from some about this of that car seem to always end up with the "I will never buy another one" final comment. There is not much value in sharing those stories, because they can be found about every model ever made, including many of the models I have driven since the 1960s with a totally different experience.

In reality, I have never put much money into owning any vehicle from the early 1960s on and no money into most, other than standard oil changes, plugs, filters, and tires. I have owned Fords, GM, and Chryslers and wish I had many of them back, including my 1973 Dodge Charger SE Brougham.

Also, here is my Carroll Shelby K car which is a one owner, bought for my wife new in 1986. Still on the road 36 years later.

 

[Golphin]

I am willing to bet they will no longer get business from the customers buying the Challengers and other Hemi model when they go electric. I would have no interest in a electric Ram but have owner 3 with gas motors over the last 10 years and a Dodge Challenger RT.

 

[venomballistics]

Had a car with a Chrysler transmission back in the 70s. Put 125000 miles on the thing and had to rebuild or replace the transmission 5 time about every 25000 miles. I will never have anything to do with a Chrysler product unless they cut me a check for about $5000 including interest. Then I might think about it. As for electric cars I am tired of everyone trying to shove them down our throats. If someone gave me a new $70000 electric car of any brand I would drive it as far as the closest Toyota dealer and trade it for a new Highlander or some such.

this forced march toward electric gives me this vision of the future that looks a bit too much like "Americathon" with everyone living in cars and going nowhere.

 

[charlie sherrill]

Technology changes. Maybe electric cars are the future...but not now. The technology for electric cars isn't here yet and on top of that they are very expensive. No one takes into consideration the amount of fossil fuel and other environmental unfriendly stuff involved in the production of all this wonderful electric stuff. There is absolutely zero concern for farmers and folks who live in rural areas who don't have access to recharging and the fact that the recharging costs more than fossil fuels plus the giant holes left in the ground at lithium mines. Maybe we can fill them with used plastic bottles. This is all a feel good thing that we are not ready for. Keep researching. We're not there yet. All we are going to do is wreck an already fragile economy.

 

[twodog max]

Our grid won't support power needs right now and the idiots are shutting down power plants all the time. They are delusional if they think EV can be charged in the numbers they are drooling over never mind the inherent EV problems and ecological damage done in production. The rush to EV is a huge train wreck in the making.

 

[Muddyboot]

GM has also pledged go full electric by 2035, but I have doubts if that can happen, to many possible problems unless someone comes up with better battery technology.

 

[Telecaster]

It costs five bucks or less to charge an EV. But somehow I feel like this is all to benefit China, not us.

 

[Hair Trigger]

I doubt Chrysler will stop building their muscle cars any time soon, they need those sales to fund their electric car research. First electric in any manufacturers lineup will be a people mover appliance. Those are the cars the tree-huggers want. Once they prove the technology and it's shown the manufacturer can sell them, then they start looking at performance-focused cars.

I figure in Chrysler's case the range of the electric car will only be limited by the length of the extension cord you get with the car.

 

[JJEH]

The Charger and Challenger won't be built anymore next year, so not sure what other models they have in the pipeline. I had a conversation with the VP of interior design and his response to my question/concern was actually pretty interesting. He said something like "no one knows where this electric trend is going, it comes from Europe, but Dodge will still have products I'm interested in, so he wants me to not give up on the brand."

I give him credit for this, and we'll keep our Chrysler products as long as possible, pending what they have in the pipeline.

 

[The Last Standing Knight]

At this point in our history...

ALL electric vehicles are little more than golf carts on steriods. Seen enough of them and doing so only justifies my view.

Electirc vehicles will happen eventually...but not in my lifetime. We are a long time away from an electric vehicle that is to the same level of range and reliability as a gas or diesel powered vehicle. Until that day comes, I treat this information like I do Teslas, Rivians, et al with a large degree of skepticism.

I always tell the tree huggers that the electrical energy that charges these "green machines" is produced by power plants and infrastructure fueled by oil, natural gas, or coal. Another case of "ignore the man behind the curtain..." if you ask me.

(FWIW: a trip from Houston to Dallas is approximately four hours. A gas powered car can make that trip in a day. Right now using a common electric vehicle and not a hybrid it is a two day trip).

 

[Tubbsy]

Struggling to meet emissions year after year along with government fines takes its toll...

 

[JJEH]

Struggling to meet emissions year after year along with government fines takes its toll...

Yup, a few days ago, Dodge posted why they build the Hornet.

News | Dodge Garage

I can see it now... emission regulations and hefty fines if said regulations are not met. And they'll sell more Dodges here in the U.S. than Alfa Romeos I always thought we only do this in Europe, the one place to be if you want government oppression and everything taxed as well as regulated :barf:

I thought they would level itself out since they are such a large group, and they have lots of small engines in other cars like Alfa, Peugeot, etc.

"The new Dodge Hornet should help the brand make a strong entry into a booming segment. If this sporty compact SUV does sell in big numbers, it will help the company work toward the future CAFE requirements. As the company exceeds the required numbers, they earn credits that could allow them to introduce lower volume, gasoline-powered cars in the future."

But I guess it's per brand now? I don't know

I think both their base models, the SXT and the GT have N/A gasoline engines, the R/T and GLH are partially electric (another U.S. Gov regulation I didn't know. Apparently by 2030 car makers must have 50% of their cars either EV or hybrid). The sooner they exceed the goals the sooner they'll get credit.

You can thank the WEF for that, where ultra rich "philosophers" rule the world because no one dares speaking up against them.

So, I don't know.... should I consider getting one? If the starting price is really around $30K then maybe it makes sense having another car... especially since our oldest can now drive too (watch out)

That way they have the sales, get the credit and can keep building other nice gasoline engines. And my 'STLA' portfolio will hopefully go up then too. We'll see, it's supposed to be available Q4 this year.

My source inside Dodge told me to stand by and not give up on them since they do have many things in the pipeline I and other gearheads will like. So, I do give him the benefit of the doubt!

But I still don't like where we are heading though...

 

[DWalt]

I once owned a 1987 Dodge Diplomat. Even after 35 years, I would never again buy any vehicle even remotely connected in any way at any time to any Chrysler product name. A truly horrible vehicle, it caught fire on me and was completely destroyed. The great thing about that fire was my insurance settlement very nearly made me whole. Screw me once, and you won't ever get a second chance.

 

[GypsmJim]

There are a bunch of reasons why CUVs work:

1) Folk like to sit higher, but don't want/need a body on frame 4x4 truck or SUV with their iffy handling, so-so brakes, monster weight and poor gas mileage.

2) CUVs are easier to get into. There are not as low as a sedan nor do they require the mountaineering skills needed to access many pickups.

3) CUVs are generally space efficient. More volume than a station wagon or a body on frame SUV and you don't have to bend down (wagon) or lift up what you are loading.

4) Yes, I've heard all the "They can't tow, they can't do proper offroading" comments. The truth of the market is that very few folks do either of those things.

5) Why are they called Crossovers? Because you cannot use the word that properly describes them as it is verboten in the mass US market. That word is Hatchback. Yes, I said it out loud. They are all large hatchbacks. There you are, I said it again.

Now barricading the doors to repel the Big 3 hit squad on its way for the use of the "H" word.

^^^^^ This.

I had land yacht-type sedans for eons. We camp, pull big boats and simply love the view from the top.

i wouldn't own a sedan even if it was free.

Park in a store parking lot and then look around. CUVs vs. sedans are about 10:1.

But that just my choice. The good news is that we'all can do as we want.

 

[pmanton]

I'm in AZ as soon as they make an electric that I can drive to Washington State in one day, to visit my kids, I'll buy it.

 

[johngalt]

They should produce enough EVs to raise the fleet mileage enough to bring back the Viper.

 

[SteveA]

Dodge is killing off the Ecodiesel Ram as well. That engine was hit or miss. Mine has been great as a daily driver with 120K on it thus far. Its hard to beat 29 mpg on the highway in a full size 1/2 ton 4x4 with plenty of torque to tow. Fuel costs are high though. Most of my friends that bought them have been pleased as well, though the few that had problems had them in a big way.

 

[Bald1]

Had a car with a Chrysler transmission back in the 70s. Put 125000 miles on the thing and had to rebuild or replace the transmission 5 time about every 25000 miles. I will never have anything to do with a Chrysler product unless they cut me a check for about $5000 including interest. Then I might think about it. As for electric cars I am tired of everyone trying to shove them down our throats. If someone gave me a new $70000 electric car of any brand I would drive it as far as the closest Toyota dealer and trade it for a new Highlander or some such.

Funny u mention Toyota. I feel like they figured it out 20 yrs ago with Prius. Hybrid is the only practical solution if your inclined to buy non traditional combustion engine vehicle. Nobody wants a vehicle with such limited range. I have a cabin 100 mi away from my home. If I had an electric truck I would then have to pay for a second charging set up there. I bought a battery powered weed wacker this spring. Thing works great. But battery dies in 20 min.