The big picture: Dodge over the summer said its first electric cars... er, American eMuscle vehicles, would arrive in 2024. We now know that their arrival will usher out two of the company's most popular gas-powered vehicles. It's the end of an era, and the dawn of a new one, converging.
A new report from Motor Trend claims Dodge's first electric muscle car concept will be unveiled in early 2022, followed by a plug-in hybrid that'll enter production at the end of next year. A third new vehicle is also said to be in the works, but the biggest revelation is that Dodge's current lineup of muscle cars - including the Challenger coupe and the Charger sedan - will cease production in 2024.
It's all part of a 24-month road map called Never Lift that'll prime the company for its transition from gas-powered vehicles with combustion engines to electric motor-powered rides.
"I'm juggling knives because I've gotta keep two different huge factions happy because at some point those two factions will converge," Dodge Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told Motor Trend. "The problem is no one knows when they will converge. My job is to provide confidence, over the next 24 months, that we're gonna do this," Kuniskis added.
Notably, Kuniskis would not say if the new vehicles would carry on the Challenger and Charger name, although as Motor Trend correctly highlights, both hold a lot of equity among car enthusiasts. Both were popular among muscle car enthusiasts during their heyday in the late 60s and early 70s, but got a new lease on life in the latter half of the 2000s when Dodge brought them back for another run.
We do know that all of Dodge's new electric vehicles will feature the Fratzog logo to differentiate them from gas-powered models.