Business

GM, Ford and Dodge electric muscle car models face latest EV transition test

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis unveils the Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car concept on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

PONTIAC, Mich. – At a $2 Beer and 80s Music Show This Week, Dodge reveal a concept for the company’s first electric muscle car with an exhaust system and a multi-speed transmission.

Features not essential for an electric vehicle – but could be the key to winning over die-hard fans of performance cars.

“Sound is a key ingredient,” Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis speak. “And the shifting is very important…we’ve been in laps for the longest time. It doesn’t make the car any faster…but it’s more engaging and fun to drive.”

As Detroit’s legacy automakers race to work to transition to electric vehicles, they’re also trying to win over longtime auto fans who love the sound of a V-8 engine The rumbling and shifting feel give them a visual connection to the car.

The heyday of muscle car sales was decades ago, but these cars have become a cultural touchstone that creates widespread recognition for the brands and their customers are still the same. loyal ambassadors. That hype can create a halo effect for other models that can translate into sales.

In recent years, Tesla has built a cult following for its electric vehicles through its sleek, tech-savvy cars and loud engines. But Detroit’s Dodge, Chevrolet, and Ford brands have loyalties from generations of families, and legacy automakers are still finding ways to bring those enthusiasts with them as they electrify fleets of vehicles. mine.

Dodge shows its hand

This week, Dodge became Detroit’s first traditional performance car brand to announce a plan for how to retain its muscle car customers. At the event in Pontiac, Michigan, the company showed off the Charger Daytona SRT concept ahead of its first production muscle car in 2024.

Kuniskis calls it one of the things electric vehicle regulators and environmentalists “don’t want you to have” because of its performance, modernized classic styling and new patent-pending technologies. invent.

“It was important to bring something visual that they would look at and go holy —, they did it right!” Kuniskis told CNBC this week.

Some design aspects of the concept car, including the exhaust system and multi-speed transmission, are expected to negatively impact the car’s electric range – but Kuniskis says that’s not what Dodge does. care about. His point, he said, was to make the car feel and drive like a traditional muscle car.

Josh and Darla Welton, of Detroit, stand by a muscle car on display at a Dodge event on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

That’s important to auto aficionados like Josh and Darla Welton, who own a number of vehicles, including the infamous Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, some are condemned when it was produced for its prowess as a street-legal drag race car.

Josh Welton, 44, who is wearing limited edition “SRT Demon” sneakers, said: “To keep enthusiasts engaged, you’re going to have to have a driver involved instead of having some self-driving, self-driving cars. drive” in partnership with Dodge and Warren Lotas. “They want to participate in what’s going on.”

Pete Seguin, a 62-year-old automotive technician from Ottawa, Ontario, was also at the event to show his support for Dodge’s SRT Hellcat with a “SRT” and Hellcat logo tattooed on it. right forearm.

Pete Seguin (L), of Ottawa, Ontario, shows off a “SRT” Hellcat tattoo standing with his brother Robert Seguin, of Gatineau, Quebec, at a Dodge event on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

In progress

Ford Motor and Synthetic engine have yet to reveal plans for the brands and their respective operating vehicles.

GM has confirmed that they have a plan production of hybrid and all-electric models of its popular Chevrolet Corvette sports car in the years to come, but Detroit’s largest automaker has been very interested in the future of the Chevy Camaro, which has seen sales decline since its redesign. car in 2016. Sites for performance enthusiasts like Muscle cars & trucks says the company expects to end production of the Camaro in 2024.

The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 starts at around $62,000 and is powered by a 650-horsepower V8, a significant upgrade over the roughly $26,000 base model.

Source: General Motors

Ford is expected to unveil the next generation of its iconic Mustang sedan next month, but it hasn’t given any concept that the car will go all-electric as part of its electric strategy. company gasification. “the most iconic nameplates.”

As of 2020, Ford has offered an all-electric crossover called the Mustang Mach-E, It’s the only production vehicle that isn’t a sports car to feature the company’s prancing horse logo.

“Dodge really plays to its own strengths with its idea,” said Paul Waatti, director of industry analysis at research firm AutoPacific. “It will be interesting to see what Ford and GM have in place for this as well. I think Dodge has laid out a pretty good roadmap for these vehicles.”

People visit Ford’s all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, U.S., November 22, 2019.

Xinhua News Agency via Getty Images

He said it’s a big challenge for automakers to transition from today’s muscle cars to rumbling V-8s, and create the same kind of emotional connection.

Representatives for GM and Ford declined to discuss plans beyond what has been announced.

The market is shrinking

Sales of Detroit’s mainstream performance cars are falling.

Current cars became popular after the Great Recession, peaking at more than 394,000 units in 2015, according to researcher Edmunds. But sales have fallen since then, including nearly 50% off two-door coupe models like the Challenger, Camaro and Mustang.

To continue to attract buyers, Detroit automakers will need to “find a niche and a brand image,” Caldwell said.

Ford’s Mustang Mach-E, for example, has done well for the automaker despite taking the form of a large crossover rather than the sleek muscle car of its gasoline-powered predecessor. And Dodge’s plan, at least for now, seems to have satisfied at least some of its most loyal fans with the Charger Daytona SRT concept.

Darla Welton, 43, said: “When it hit the market, and then you had to see all the lines on the body and design, I got chills.

As a lifelong Detroiter whose family worked in the auto industry, she notes the excitement of witnessing the transition of muscle cars like the Demon to EVs.

“I can’t wait to get behind the wheel,” she said.

The Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car was unveiled on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.

Michael Wayland / CNBC

Source link

news7h

News7h: Update the world's latest breaking news online of the day, breaking news, politics, society today, international mainstream news .Updated news 24/7: Entertainment, Sports...at the World everyday world. Hot news, images, video clips that are updated quickly and reliably

Related Articles

Back to top button