{"id":23320,"date":"2019-01-19T14:10:18","date_gmt":"2019-01-19T18:10:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/henrypayne.com\/?p=23320"},"modified":"2019-01-19T14:10:18","modified_gmt":"2019-01-19T18:10:18","slug":"next-dodge-challenger-will-get-electric-motor-boost","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/2019\/01\/next-dodge-challenger-will-get-electric-motor-boost","title":{"rendered":"Next Dodge Challenger will get electric-motor boost"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">A new generation of Dodge muscle cars is coming, and it will get a boost\u00a0with an electric motor.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Fiat Chrysler&#8217;s performance brand\u00a0has ridden the ground-shaking, supercharged V-8\u00a0Challenger\u00a0Hellcat to become the No. 2-selling sports coupe\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0behind the Ford Mustang. But Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley says the clock is ticking on the car&#8217;s aging 2-ton chassis and thirsty engines, and they will be replaced in\u00a0the next decade.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rf1KuUlNVJ8\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/50a63e97-248d-4c52-b03d-8a91f3bf33d9-BU018_041EV29hbss95egq8sh2app7pa2bgmm.jpg?crop=3000,1801,x0,y0&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Two Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats face off at the fourth annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge event\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/50a63e97-248d-4c52-b03d-8a91f3bf33d9-BU018_041EV29hbss95egq8sh2app7pa2bgmm.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/50a63e97-248d-4c52-b03d-8a91f3bf33d9-BU018_041EV29hbss95egq8sh2app7pa2bgmm.jpg?width=500&amp;height=333\" \/>Two Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcats face off at the fourth annual Roadkill Nights Powered by Dodge event\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: FCA US LLC, \u00a9 2018 FCA US LLC)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">&#8220;The reality is those platforms and that technology we used does need to move on. They can\u2019t exist as you get into the middle-2020s,&#8221; the new Fiat Chrysler boss said at the\u00a0Detroit auto show.\u00a0&#8220;New technology is going to drive a load of weight out, so we can\u00a0think of the powertrains in a different way. And we can use electrification to really supplement those vehicles.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Despite sitting on Chrysler&#8217;s 13-year-old\u00a0LX architecture, the Ontario-assembled Challenger has soared in sales. The\u00a0top-of-the-line\u00a0$60,000, 717-horsepower Hellcat version broke the internet when it debuted in 2015.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">But with government emissions standards tightening, automakers have been looking to alternative\u00a0powertrains with fewer cylinders to satisfy customer performance demands. Supercar-makers like Acura, McLaren and Porsche have mated electric motors and downsized gasoline engines, with the primary purpose of the batteries being\u00a0performance, not fuel efficiency. So don&#8217;t expect the next Hellcat to be an all-electric car.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;I think that electrification will certainly be part of the formula\u00a0that says what is American muscle in the future,&#8221; said Manley. &#8220;What it isn\u2019t going to be is a V-8, supercharged, 700-horsepower engine.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rf1KuUl2vsE\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"single-photo float\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/5f3e276a-bb9c-4d18-abcf-55477ded76be-Manley-03.JPG?crop=1490,2114,x137,y4&amp;width=180&amp;height=240&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley\" width=\"180\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/5f3e276a-bb9c-4d18-abcf-55477ded76be-Manley-03.JPG\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/16\/PDTN\/5f3e276a-bb9c-4d18-abcf-55477ded76be-Manley-03.JPG?width=305&amp;height=400\" \/>Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: John T. Greilick, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Manley did not go into specifics on what the gas-engine components would be, and a Dodge spokesperson said the company had no further comment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Ford is rumored to be working on a hybrid, turbo-4 with V-8-like power for its next-decade Mustang. And the coming\u00a0mid-engine Corvette will reportedly offer a gas-electric model putting out 1,000 horsepower.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Challenger 2019 models (and their sister Charger sedans) are powered by four engines: 3.6-liter V-6, 5.7-liter hemi V-8, 6.4-liter hemi V-8,\u00a0and\u00a0supercharged\u00a06.2-liter V-8. Industry analysts have expected Dodge to put a\u00a0twin-turbo V-6 into performance models with as heavily updated, lighter chassis.<\/p>\n<p>Ward&#8217;s Auto predicts that use of the company&#8217;s workhorse Pentastar V-6 \u2014\u00a0found in numerous Fiat Chrysler vehicles and produced at Detroit&#8217;s Mack Avenue Engine plant\u00a0\u2014\u00a0will continue to grow in volume over the next decade,\u00a0including the addition of the\u00a0twin-turbo variant to replace the $35,000\u00a0Challenger R\/T&#8217;s\u00a05.7-liter\u00a0Hemi V-8.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Bob Gritzinger, propulsion analyst for Ward&#8217;s Intelligence, suspects Dodge may mate the twin-turbo V-6 with an electric motor for peak power.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;I could see something along the lines of the Porsche model which puts a turbo V-6 together with\u00a0an electric motor to create the (all-wheel drive) Panamera 4 e-Hybrid,&#8221; says Gritzinger.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">With a combined\u00a0gas-electric jolt of 462 horsepower and 516 pound-feet of torque, Car and Driver hit 60 mph in just 3.6 seconds in the Panamera.<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rf1KuUlmJgo\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/c7b7af2c-2acd-4670-823c-27bfbeb69588-challenger.jpg?crop=2210,1263,x0,y508&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"Analysts  speculate that the entry-level\u00a0$28,000\u00a0Challenger may use a version of the company's\u00a02-liter turbo-4 with a 48-volt\u00a0eTorque mild-hybrid assist.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/c7b7af2c-2acd-4670-823c-27bfbeb69588-challenger.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/c7b7af2c-2acd-4670-823c-27bfbeb69588-challenger.jpg?width=439&amp;height=400\" \/>Analysts speculate that the entry-level\u00a0$28,000\u00a0Challenger may use a version of the company&#8217;s\u00a02-liter turbo-4 with a 48-volt\u00a0eTorque mild-hybrid assist.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: FCA US LLC)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\">Fiat Chrysler chief Manley says electrification &#8220;can\u2019t be\u00a0the dominant part (of a muscle car). Electrification deployed to increase the performance of the vehicle as its primary goal \u2013 with the added benefits of fuel economy \u2013 is very different, instead of the other way around.&#8221;<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Kelley Blue Book analyst and veteran muscle car fan\u00a0Karl Brauer is skeptical that electrification and muscle can co-exist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;There&#8217;s a long-standing rule about what constitutes American muscle,\u00a0but electrification is not part of it,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I need something that gets my blood pumping.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">He acknowledges the hybridization of $100,00-plus European supercars like Porsche and McLaren, but says it has come &#8220;with a lot of added weight and cost.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">He says the last Chrysler CEO to alter the American muscle recipe was Lee Iacocca in the late 1970s. Under similar\u00a0regulatory pressures, Iacocca moved away from thirsty V-8s and toward front-wheel drive V-6 platforms. Forty years later, Dodge roared back to prominence with the trusty V-8 hammer.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;The Challenger is now challenging the Mustang for sales primacy with a V-8,&#8221; says Brauer. &#8220;Who would have thought that? In terms of sales, the supercharged V-8s have worked well.&#8221;<\/p>\n<div id=\"module-position-Rf1KuUkMY1o\" class=\"story-asset image-asset\">\n<aside class=\"wide single-photo\"><div align=\"left\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/b872f90f-fb6f-4480-971a-99ae173ee995-tdndc5-71l441jo6lv1461hzm9x_original.jpg?crop=4086,2083,x268,y258&amp;width=540&amp;height=&amp;fit=bounds&amp;auto=webp\" alt=\"The supercharged V-8\u00a0Dodge Challenger Hellcat is the No. 2-selling sports coupe\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0behind the Ford Mustang.\" width=\"540\" data-mycapture-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/b872f90f-fb6f-4480-971a-99ae173ee995-tdndc5-71l441jo6lv1461hzm9x_original.jpg\" data-mycapture-sm-src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/presto\/2019\/01\/18\/PDTN\/b872f90f-fb6f-4480-971a-99ae173ee995-tdndc5-71l441jo6lv1461hzm9x_original.jpg?width=500&amp;height=266\" \/>The supercharged V-8\u00a0Dodge Challenger Hellcat is the No. 2-selling sports coupe\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0behind the Ford Mustang.\u00a0<span class=\"credit\">(Photo: Max Ortiz, The Detroit News)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/aside>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Analysts also speculate that the entry-level\u00a0$28,000\u00a0Challenger may use a version of the company&#8217;s\u00a02-liter turbo-4 with a 48-volt\u00a0eTorque mild-hybrid assist.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Manley praised the Challenger team&#8217;s leadership for elbowing into the sales battle between traditional segment leaders Mustang and Chevy Camaro.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Since 2014, Challenger sales have increased 30 percent to 66,716 in 2018\u00a0\u2014 within\u00a010,000 units of the Ford\u00a0\u2014 while Camaro fell 25 percent last year to 50,963. Only the Challenger gained sales in 2018 (by 3 percent), with 42 percent of cars\u00a0equipped with V-8s.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;(The team)\u00a0is incredibly creative,&#8221; said Manley.\u00a0&#8220;They came up with this idea which originally was part of a mini skunk-works until it was too late to stop it. I think everyone very quickly envisioned what Hellcat would do for Dodge.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Dodge appears poised to re-imagine American muscle again in the decade ahead.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A new generation of Dodge muscle cars is coming, and it will get a boost\u00a0with an electric motor. Fiat Chrysler&#8217;s performance brand\u00a0has ridden the ground-shaking, supercharged V-8\u00a0Challenger\u00a0Hellcat to become the No. 2-selling sports coupe\u00a0in the U.S.\u00a0behind the Ford Mustang. But Fiat Chrysler CEO Mike Manley says the clock is ticking on the car&#8217;s aging 2-ton [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23320"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23320"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23320\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23320"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23320"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/henrypayne.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23320"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}