Cop, electric Chevrolet Camaro! Why the upcoming Dodge EV muscle car lineup could be Australia's new Chrysler 300 as police wait for Holden's Commodore SS modern electrified successor

Glimpses of what Dodge calls "the world's first electric muscle cars" suggest a hot-swappable Dodge Challenger from 2024.

Will the Chrysler 300 become a battery electric sports sedan from 2024 with performance to rival the Tesla Model S when patrolling the streets and highways of Australia?

This is one of many exciting opportunities as the owner of the legendary American brands Chrysler, Dodge, Ram and Jeep - the newly formed company Stellantis - unveils its electric vehicle (EV) roadmap for the second half of this decade.  

Introduced back in July and applicable to all Stellantis car brands including Peugeot, Citroen, DS, Opel, Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lancia, Abarth and Maserati, the EV strategy is centered around four platforms (STLA Small, STLA Medium, STLA Large and STLA Frame for trucks/SUVs with a body on a frame), three power units and one scalable inverter.

For American brands, the latter two will be most relevant, with the STLA Large being the backbone of a range of 2024 electric muscle cars that Dodge says will "tear apart the streets, not the planet."

The numbers are staggering: up to 660 kW of power, 800 km of battery life and a 0-100 km/h acceleration time of just 2.0 seconds for the fastest version. They top Tesla's current stats and show just how serious Stellantis is about developing its high-performance coupes and sedans through the transition to electrification.

For North American buyers, it also confirms that the Dodge Challenger coupe (a Ford Mustang competitor) and the very close four-door Dodge Charger sedan (like the Kia Stinger) will live up to the spirit, evolving with the times, fighting such rivals, like the Mustang Mach-e and the forthcoming all-electric Chevrolet Camaro among a host of other competitors.

However, none of the aforementioned models are offered in Australia (for now), while Dodge production was discontinued when the Journey SUV disappeared from dealerships in 2016, raising the possibility of so-called "eMuscle" models arriving here. . Charger branded Chrysler 300 instead for our market.

And why not? Since 2005, the nameplate 300 has gained a lot of fans, especially in hot SRT guise, first among high performance buyers and later as pursuit vehicles for various police forces in Australia following the discontinuation of the locally built Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore in 2016 and 2017. respectively.

Of course, this kind of badge swap is nothing new between Chrysler and Dodge, as the Dodge Magnum wagon was sold in Australia as the Chrysler 300C wagon in the late 2000s, highlighting the commonality of rear-wheel drive (RWD) platforms between Chrysler and Dodge models. In this case, it was the heavy architecture LX Mercedes-Benz W211 E-Class.

Meeting the needs of law enforcement can also be the driving force behind future development.

Whether or not the 2024 Dodge eMuscle vehicles are spawning a police variant is still unconfirmed, but the Charger has established itself in the US as a staple of North American government and law enforcement, as has its 350kW/637Nm 6.4L Hemi V8 Chrysler 300 SRT cousin. accommodation among the police in Australia.

In both cases, this is due to their unmatched recoil undermining other patrol and pursuit vehicle options such as the Ford Explorer in the US and the BMW 5 Series locally.

It's not just the police that are boosting Charger sales, as it has proven popular with private buyers since the badge was resurrected in 2004, helping to displace nearly 1.4 million units by the end of 2020 and another 61,000 this year. For a car that's two decades old, this is a clear sign that muscle cars are far from complete.

In addition, competition is heating up from Dodge's other homegrown competitors.

First, Chevrolet is said to be working on a four-door electric Camaro for North America.

Built on the upcoming BEV3 platform, it will usurp the existing coupe around 2025, according to reports. In addition, the EV sedan could also pave the way for the return of the General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) nameplate, GM's post-Holden concern, after it shut down early last year.

Ford is also expected to electrify its core Mustang coupe lineup in the second half of the decade to match the Mach-e SUV. There are even rumors that other body styles will appear on the next generation S650 model, which is scheduled to be introduced later in 2022.

All of this sudden muscle car activity on electric vehicles suggests a growth in the large sports sedan/coupe market as their flexible modular platforms with their inherent low center of gravity dynamics, high performance and sleek styling resonate with consumers. tired of the constant onslaught of SUVs.

It's also a hallmark and a return to their roots for American brands that have struggled to cope with the challenges posed by import competitors since the mid-20th century.

Chrysler, GM and Ford are no longer even bothering to offer front-wheel drive small and mid-sized models to compete with the Honda Civic and Toyota Camry, but are instead reimagining their greatest hits back catalog with a modern and hopefully profitable look. . Like a flurry of Hollywood sequels and franchises flooding our theaters, using what works seems like a key strategy for Detroit's survival. Looking back to move forward.

The irony is that it took a revolutionary like Tesla and its revolutionary Model S and Model 3 to show the outdated American automakers how to rediscover their magic by adopting the opposite of what the traditional V8 is — electrification — for achieving this.  

Will Australian muscle car buyers be willing to do the same if or when the Chrysler 300/Dodge Charger replacement eMuscle EVs and their ilk finally spin out of control?

Undoubtedly, local law enforcement will keep a very close eye on this space…