At an event featuring headbanging ’80s music and $2 beers this week, Dodge unveiled a concept for its first electric muscle car.
The features are important for winning over die-hard fans of performance vehicles.
Tim Kuniskis stated that sound is a critical component. We went around and around for a long time. It doesn't make the car faster, but it's fun to drive.
Detroit's legacy automakers are trying to win over long-time auto fans who like the sound of V-8 engines and feel of shifting gears as they transition to electric vehicles.
The sales heydays of muscle cars are decades in the past, but the vehicles have become cultural icons that create massive awareness for brands. A halo effect can be created by that hype.
The cult following for its electric vehicles has been created by its sleek, tech-savvy vehicles and humming motors. Detroit's Dodge, Chevrolet and Ford brands have loyalty dating back family generations, and the legacy automakers are still figuring out how to bring those enthusiasts along.
The first of Detroit's traditional performance brands to announce its plans on how to retain its muscle car customers was Dodge. The company showed off its concept car at the event in Michigan.
It is one that regulators and environmentalists don't want you to have because of it's performance, retro styling and new patent-pending technologies
They did this right by bringing back something visually that they were going to see. This week, Kuniskis spoke to CNBC.
The electric range of the vehicle is not expected to be impacted by the design aspects of the concept car. The goal is to make the car feel like a muscle car.
Josh and Darla Welton, of Detroit, stand by a muscle car on display at a Dodge event on Aug. 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.That is important for auto fans like Josh and Darla Welton, who own several vehicles, including the Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, which some criticized when it was produced because of its power as a street-legal drag racing car.
"To keep the enthusiast, you're going to have to have the driver engaged as opposed to having some self-driving, autonomously car." They would like to be involved with what is happening.
A 62-year-old auto technician from Ontario is showing his support for Dodge's Hellcat with an "SRT" and a Hellcat logo tattooed on his right forearm.
Pete Seguin (L), of Ottawa, Ontario, shows off his “SRT” Hellcat tattoo standing with brother Robert Seguin, of Gatineau, Quebec, at a Dodge event Aug. 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.Performance brands and vehicles have yet to be disclosed by Ford and GM.
Detroit's largest automaker has been mum on the future of the Chevy Camaro, which has experienced dwindling sales since a redesign of the vehicle in 2016, but it has confirmed it plans to produce hybrid and all-electric models of its famed Chevrolet Corvette sports car. According to websites such as Muscle Cars & Trucks, the company is going to end production of the Camaro in four years' time.
The Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 starts at about $62,000 and is powered by a 650-horsepower V8 engine, a considerable upgrade over the roughly $26,000 base model.Ford is expected to reveal the next generation of its classic pony car next month, but it has not given any indication that the car will be electric as part of its strategy toelectrify its most famous brands.
The mustang mach-e is the only production vehicle other than the sports car to wear the company's prancing horse logo
Paul Waatti is the manager of industry analysis at AutoPacific. It will be interesting to see how Ford and GM are going to handle this. I believe Dodge has a good plan for these cars.
People visit Ford’s all-electric SUV Mustang Mach-E at the 2019 Los Angeles Auto Show in Los Angeles, the United States, Nov. 22, 2019.The shift from today's muscle cars with rumbling V-8s to the same type of emotional connection is a big challenge for the auto industry.
The representatives for GM and Ford wouldn't discuss plans beyond what has been said.
Detroit's mainstream performance cars are not selling as well as they used to.
In 2015, the current cars had a popularity peak of more than 394,000 vehicles. There has been a decline in sales of two-door mustangs and Challengers.
Many of the vehicles have evolved to offer smaller engines with less power, but they can still be seen as noisy, gas guzzling cars. There is increased competition from outside Detroit, including EV makers, as well as a potential change in performance culture.
The move to electric cars, which have a different type of performance, feels like performance has taken a back seat.
The combined sales of the Ford, Chevrolet, and Corvette were down more than 30% last year. In the last year of pre-pandemic auto sales, they were down 25% due to global supply chain problems.
Detroit autos will need to find a niche and a brand image to keep buyers.
Despite taking the form of a larger SUV, the Ford Mach-E has done well for the company. At least for now, Dodge's plans seem to have satisfied some of its most loyal fans with the Charger Daytona SRT concept
Darla Welton said she got chills when she saw the body and design.
She noted how excited she was to see the transition of the muscle cars to EV's.
She said she can't wait to drive.
The Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car concept was unveiled on Aug. 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Mich.
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