We’re waiting on clarification, but apparently the EV variant of the next-gen muscle car was designed with hot-rod swaps in mind
- Word is the new 2024 Dodge Charger EV was designed with V8 swaps in mind
- The news was revealed in a paean to V8s from Motor Trend
- Also rumoured: the gas-powered Charger Sixpack is seeing its launch moved up
Or, according to Motor Trend, rip the works of it out and plunk in a V8 engine because Dodge designed it for such tomfoolery. Wait, what?
That’s the seemingly throwaway line uttered by the hosts of a new documentary by Motor Trend, a 30-minute show chronicling the history of the V8 engine in America. The entire film is worth a watch, but a revelation by well-know hot-rod enthusiast David Freiburger and NHRA commentator Brian Lohnes is what has our attention. They say the upcoming Dodge Charger EV is, by design, able to have its electric guts ripped out and replaced with a V8 powerplant and rear-wheel-drive. This is news.
Freiburger: The loss of the Hellcat? That is a giant blow. That being said, I wouldn’t count Dodge out. Lohnes: Yes. Freiburger: The new Charger EV, you can remove the batteries and a V8 with a rear-wheel-drive transmission bolts into the frame. Lohnes: By design.
And, yes, as briefly referenced above, the other Charger-related rumour making the rounds these days is that the inline-six gas-powered variants of the modern muscle machine are seeing their on-sale dates moved up. While previously scheduled for a late 2025 launch, word is Stellantis is now targeting early summer next year for the Dodge Charger Sixpack’s debut instead. Is this something that can be chalked up to changes in demand for EV and gas vehicles? We hope the Dodge folks eventually let us know.
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