While Dodge has gone big with its electric models, there’s still a six-pot petrol in the pack.

ELECTRIC sizzle for Sixty-Six?

With Dodge now the primary feeder of muscle cars into America’s rental fleets, chances are Kiwis looking to take the ultimate American road trip - down iconic Route 66 - might in future stand good chance of encountering the latest Challenger in its wholly new form.

Unveiled to America today - and unlikely to come here given its predecessors were never sold here in their near-20-year life cycles - the new model still places a bet with petrolheads, with a six-cylinder engine choice.

However, that surprise turn-up is an alternate provision. The primary push is as Dodge has emphasised for the past two years - with a big lugger that, until it was retired from Hemi V8 duty in December, was called Challenger as a coupe and Charger as a sedan (and is now Challenger in either format), has been developed foremost as an all-wheel-drive battery car.

Implemented are a pair of electric motors, with outputs differing depending on trim levels. These include R/T, Scat Pack, Daytona and top-of-the-heap Banshee, with each also sporting slightly different styling cues.

The R/T has a combined output of 340kW and 547Nm of torque for the R/T and 440kW/850Nm of torque for the Scat Pack – figures that include a 15-second, 54kW boost called the “Power Shot.” 

In time buyers will also be able to access Stage 1 and 2 upgrades that boost output to 370kW and 499kW, respectively – meaning the top-trim EV Charger will do 0-100kmh in 3.3 seconds and cover the quarter-mile in 11.5. 

In respect to range, the R/T is expected to cover 510 kilometres, while the Scat Pack is estimated at around 418km.

Still burning for petrol? There will be a pair of models, dubbed the Sixpack in both S.O. and H.O. guise, each powered by the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre in-line six Hurricane engine with respective outputs of 313kW and 410kW, both mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. 

That output is down on the 362kW of the outgoing 6.4-litre V8 Charger and Challenger Scat Pack, let alone the 520kW-plus supercharged V8 Hellcat and Demon models, all consigned to history.

The EV and petrol models share interior and exterior designs, to reduce production complexity and lower costs.

Electric being the future means it takes priority in production. First on the road will be the two-door 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T and Scat Pack. Production of those is slated to kick off in June. the four-door and ICE models won’t come until the first quarter of next year.

If the Challenger looks familiar, that’s because it’s essentially already been seen via multiple teasers. Plus, an all-electric concept revealed in August of 2022 debuted the drivetrain and retro-inspired styling. 

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis’ declaration that the "brotherhood of muscle," will be battery-powered, based on Stellantis's STLA Large platform, is no small bet - if Mopar faithful don’t accept an electric muscle car, it’ll probably be game over for this brand.

If it wins? Then Dodge is on a charge, with no immediate rival. The Mustang Mach-E wears a muscle-car name, but its SUV body puts it in a different category. 

A redesigned Challenger/Charger is a big deal. As the Jalopnik website pointed out, while the outgoing car has continually been updated, it hasn’t been fully redesigned since 2006.

In a briefing to media in North America today, Kuniskis called the EV a “game changer in the industry.”

“We’re taking the performance of the ‘golden age’ that you know today that you judge everything by and we’re taking the technology of the future to make sure (the Dodge brothers’) legacy doesn’t die.”

When asked if the EVs will be profitable, Kuniskis reiterated comment by Carlos Tavares, chief executive of Stellantis to which Dodge belongs, that the multi-brand group won’t sell vehicles at a loss in order to boost sales or meet US federal fuel economy standards.

Kuniskis said there are no plans for V8 or plug-in hybrid electric models for the new line, which will be produced at a Stellantis assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, in Canada.

Dodge is still working on how the EV will sound, Kuniskis said. The goal is to attempt to retain the roaring sound and driving characteristics of those petrol-powered predecessors.