- Search Cartoons
- Comic Archive
-
Payne
Store
Henry Payne RSS
Payne: How Stellantis plans to electrify Jeep, Dodge and Ram brands
Posted by Talbot Payne on July 10, 2021
Some of Detroit’s most iconic vehicles are getting a plug.
Stellantis NV announced a comprehensive electrification strategy Thursday across a diverse, multi-continent portfolio of 14 brands that range from French sedans to American SUVs to Italian supercars. Motown brands play a key role. Dodge muscle cars, Ram trucks and Jeep SUVs will get new, battery-powered models (and new EV brand slogans) in the next few years as Stellantis aims for 40% electrified sales by 2030.
The foundation of Stellantis’s plans are four STLA (pronounced “Stella”) platforms: STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large and STLA Frame. But its electrification strategy is not exclusive to those battery-electric vehicles (BEVs). Indeed, Stellantis uses the term electrification loosely and “low-emission vehicles” (LEVs) will cover a wide assortment of battery-enhanced products to meet its sales goals. Models will include BEVs, PHEVs (plug-in hybrid vehicles with gas engine assist), and HEVs (gas vehicles with battery assist).
Stellantis says its goals are driven by 64% of customers who say that preserving the environment is their most important value. Yet less than 2% of U.S. customers — the largest number in California — bought a battery-powered vehicle in 2020.
A look at what’s coming from Stellantis brands in the U.S.:
Jeep (brand slogan: Zero Emission Freedom)
Jeep showed off the first battery-powered version of the Grand Cherokee called the 4xe. The Grand Cherokee lineup will make its official debut at the 2021 New York Auto Show in August. Grand Cherokee follows in the footsteps of the first electrified Jeep, the Wrangler 4xe introduced earlier this year.
The pricey Wrangler 4xe’s 17.3 kWh lithium ion battery is paired with a turbocharged 4-cylinder engine and can go 21 miles on electrons alone. The Wrangler also sports an E-Save feature so battery power can be preserved for off-roading. Expect the Grand Cherokee 4xe to house similar capabilities.
In addition to the Grand Cherokee, Jeep promised electrified SUVs in every segment it competes in — as well as a mystery “white-space” Jeep coming soon.
Dodge (slogan: Tear Up the Streets … Not the Planet)
Electric motors showcase silent operation and instant torque, but also a challenge: without the different personalities of 6-, 8- and 10-cylinder engines, how do you tell performance brands apart? Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said that Dodge will introduce an EV by 2024 that will be welcomed into the “brotherhood of muscle” brand born from high-power, earth-shaking Hemi V-8 gas power.
“If a charger can make a Charger quicker, we’re in,” said Kuniskis. “Dodge will not sell electric cars. Dodge will sell American muscle. Because Dodge doesn’t view EV technology as a revolution, but instead as a natural evolution of the modern muscle car.”
Kuniskis stood next to a covered Dodge, but did not unveil it. Expect a variant of the two-door Challenger or four-door Charger — or even an EV-specific badge called Cuda. It will likely be based on the STLA Large platform, which has the option of all-wheel drive and a big battery to harness big power.
Dodge won’t be the first performance brand to offer an EV. Tesla made EVs sexy with head-snapping acceleration — and rolled out the Model S Plaid to customers this summer with reported sub-2 second 0-60 mph acceleration. German sportscar brand Porsche has followed with the Taycan sedan and Taycan Cross Turismo EVs, and Ford offers its first solely battery-powered vehicle — the Mach E — under the Mustang sub-brand. BMW this week showed off the i4 M50 in Detroit — the first M-badged performance variant of its i-series EV sub-brand.
Both Taycan and Mach-E pipe in artificial gas engine sound; expect Dodge to use similar tricks for customers attuned to the hellish shriek of Hellcat V-8 superchargers.
Ram (slogan: Built to Serve a Sustainable Planet)
Electrification’s inherent benefits of low-end torque and efficient cargo space also promise benefits for trucks. Ram CEO Mike Koval announced the truck brand will introduce an electric version of its 1500 pickup by 2024.
“There is no reason why electrification should limit the choice of solution,” he said while teasing a sci fi-looking Ram EV. “Our technology will alleviate customer concerns, improve the product and deliver on real world demands.”
The Ram will go head-to-head against Ford’s first EV pickup, the F-150 Lightning introduced earlier this year. Lightning boasts sports car-like 4.5-second 0-60 acceleration as well as towing capacity of 10,000 pounds. Expect similar numbers from the Ram 1500, which will likely sit on the STLA Frame platform. Stellantis says vehicles built on the STLA Frame can achieve up to 500 miles of range, low-2 second 0-60 mph times, and 20-mile-per-minute charge rates.
Chevrolet is said to be working on a Silverado pickup EV and the six-figure GMC Hummer super-truck is coming in 2023. Tesla, Rivian and Lordstown also promise EV pickups in the next year.
Look for a tsunami of EV service trucks, analysts say. While retail customers have been lukewarm on EVs, big companies may value EV truck fleets both because of their low operating costs — and as a way to meet corporate sustainability goals. Utilities and delivery companies like Amazon have been bullish on converting their fleets to electric. Such trucks could help build up essential charging infrastructure needed to goose retail sales.
Ram’s Kovak stood in front of a design studio of five covered EVs. Ram says it will electrify its portfolio this decade.
Chrysler (slogan: Clean Technology for a New Generation of Families)
The brand was not part of Stellantis’s presentation other than a brief glimpse at a concept SUV. Chrysler showed a Portal autonomous electric concept a couple of years back. Chrysler’s lineup has been reduced to the 300 sedan and Pacifica and Voyager minivans — but the Pacifica has been a pioneer in its segment with a plug-in hybrid model.
Fiat (slogan: It’s Only Green When It’s Green for All)
Fiat is a cautionary tale in trying to translate European trends to the U.S. The wee 500 headlined Fiat’s takeover of Chrysler during the American automaker’s 2009 bankruptcy as the Obama administration touted a U.S. future of small, 40 mpg cars. Americans demurred and the Fiat brand has largely disappeared from U.S. shores — including the electric Fiat 500e, which bombed even in California.
In Europe, the Fiat 500e will lead the Italian brand’s charge to 70% sales of electric vehicles by 2030. If Dodge’s performance EV plan takes hold in the U.S., look for Stellantis to introduce more products here from Italian speed brands like Abarth (slogan: Heating Up People, But Not the Planet) and Alfa Romeo (From 2024, Alfa Becomes Alfa e-Romeo).
Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or Twitter @HenryEPayne.