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]
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Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.
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- SaulTigh In the mid-90's I worked with a guy that drove a mid-80's T-Bird with the Essex V6. Paint was peeling and it literally didn't have an interior any longer (headliner and door panels were flat GONE, with just a crank and handle sticking out). Guy commuted about 30 miles a day and the thing would not die.He then got a much newer Pontiac and parked that T-bird under a tree. A year later, the Pontiac got totaled and he went out and put the jumper cables on that T-bird and it fired right up. Drove it another 2 years before sending it to the crusher. Impressive roach-osity for a domestic ride from that era.
- Tassos Jong-iL I have many bad days, and wish my car would deal with my enemies for me. So yes please "gm" deliver this technology to One Korea.
- MaintenanceCosts How about a system that detects when a driver is starting to engage in road rage and just backs off and drives smoothly for a bit?
- IBx1 ST is dead so why not kill GR toopathetic automatic scum
- VoGhost Interesting. The maga anti-America crowd is so used to being brainwashed into hating Tesla, they didn't realize that it's actually the foreign automakers that use slave labor.
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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.