Next-Gen Dodge Muscle Cars to Get Electric Boost

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV plans to offer some sort of hybrid-electric system in its next-generation Dodge Challenger muscle car.

Electrification will “certainly be part of the formula” in the future of such vehicles, CEO Mike Manley tells The Detroit News. He says today’s weight-intensive platforms and high-output, stand-alone V-8 engines “can’t exist” in the mid-2020s.

Launched in 2008, the current Challenger (pictured) rides on FCA’s aging LX architecture. Powered by a Hellcat 6.2-liter supercharged V-8, the top-of-the-line Challenger SRT Demon has generated as much as 840 hp in recent years. FCA also offers a 3.6-liter V-6, 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 in the Challenger.

Noting that new technology is driving weight down, Manley says engineers are thinking of powertrains differently. He envisions using electrification to supplement downsized engines to boost performance with improved efficiency as a side benefit rather than the other way around. Ruling out a pure EV for the segment, Manley asserts that electrification “can’t be the dominant part” of a muscle car.

Analysts speculate that the next Challenger could ride on FCA sibling Alfa Romeo’s rear-wheel-drive Giorgio platform, which carries the Giulia midsize sedan. Power could come from a twin-turbocharged variant of FCA’s Pentastar V-6, mated with one or more electric motors. Another potential option—suitable for a base model—would be to team FCA’s 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine with a 48-volt mild-hybrid system.

Challenger sales in the U.S. rose 3% last year to more than 66,700 units. The vehicle was the second-highest selling model in the segment, behind the Ford Mustang.