Mopar Teases Electric Crate Swap, Maybe
The annual SEMA show in Las Vegas is rapidly approaching, meaning car companies will surely be dangling umpteen teaser images of what they’ve in store for this soirée in the desert. Stellantis is usually good for an outrageous reveal or three, and they’ve started off this year with an electrified bang.
There isn’t a ton of information to go on in this promotional shot – but there’s more than enough to make a few educated guesses. The slab-flat hood definitely looks like a late-‘60s Charger, given the scalloped lines and overall shape. Peeking through one of the four hood vents are indications of electrification, or at least a CGI representation thereof, with a few blue lights and who-know-what else.
Less subtle clues are in Mopar’s declaration its fans should “get ready for a jolt” and promises that a “serious charge” is coming from the company. That’s about as understated as a frying pan to the face, which is actually par for the course for the likes of Mopar. Beyond the image and dad-joke-level PR copy, we’re left to speculate.
Which, of course, we are only too glad to do. Since the photo shows what really appears to be a classic Dodge or Plymouth instead of something modern, we feel this is not a production-ready variant of the upcoming Charger Daytona which was making the auto show rounds in recent times. Rather, there’s every chance in the world we’re looking at a teaser shot for the announcement of an EV crate powertrain, perhaps something of an answer to what GM Performance is hawking with their eCrate line of power solutions.
Some of those offerings from The General include parts of the entire package whilst others include the whole kit and kaboodle: battery, motor system, the works. For example, one solution has a 66-kWh lithium-ion pack and 400-volt electric drive motor designed to connect directly to a GM 4-speed automatic transmission. The unit belts out 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, far less than most built V8 engines but more than enough to shove something along on a Friday night cruise. Just be prepared for backlash when you open its hood at the Tastee Freez.
The 2023 SEMA Show is being held October 31 – November 3 in Las Vegas.
[Image: Mopar]
Become a TTAC insider. Get the latest news, features, TTAC takes, and everything else that gets to the truth about cars first by subscribing to our newsletter.
Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
More by Matthew Guy
Latest Car Reviews
Read moreLatest Product Reviews
Read moreRecent Comments
- Lorenzo TikTok won't sway young people, but low prices will. There will need to be a parts and service network in place to go along with it, and of course, the vehicles must be able to survive typical American neglect of maintenance. Miss on those, and Chinese brands can follow Renault and Peugeot out the door.
- Tassos Enough with this nonsense technology. It is my right to rear end the car in front of me while i drive around in my e-class (diesel, rebuilt) looking for the Hot Women In My Area. My phone keeps prompting me that they are ready to meet me.
- 28-Cars-Later 33% is still unrealistic, though hybridization of the bread and butter models is in my view (though not sure how well that will go over with the professional use pickup crowd, they already spend a kachillion for conventional technology to subsidize the losses of everything else).
- MaintenanceCosts When these proposed regs came out it was quickly determined that the industry could satisfy them with a mix of fewer than 1/3 BEVs if nearly all ICE vehicles were hybridized. With that in mind, I think this lawsuit is mostly "FJB" political theater by Republican AGs trying to make sure that they don't get primaried by far-right party bases.
- Lou_BC An I thought the President had absolute immunity;)
Comments
Join the conversation
I think you'll see a price drop of around 25% in the future but you won't see a crash either.
Interest in pre-1975 vehicles among Millennials and GenX people isn't that soft, they just don't tend to attend car shows or car clubs.
Good.