Dodge muscle gets a shot of EV juice

Dodge is going to look quite different in a few years.

The long-running Challenger and Charger muscle cars that tear up asphalt with an array of high-powered engines will roll down the line for the last time next year at Brampton Assembly in Ontario.

They'll give way to a new generation of electric performance in 2024, which the brand previewed with the Charger Daytona SRT Concept.

The upcoming Hornet, a fresh compact crossover entry, will be Dodge's first electrified model when it reaches dealerships next year. A gasoline version of the Hornet will join the lineup before the end of this year.

Charger: Dodge unveiled the electric Charger Daytona SRT Concept in August, providing a look into the brand's future. The noisy EV comes with an industry-first "exhaust" system for the segment and an 800-volt battery. It's slated to be released in 2024.

The final year of the muscular sedan in its current form will see numerous heritage-influenced entries, new paint options and an expansion of the Jailbreak models added this year for the 807-hp Charger and Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye Widebody editions. For 2023, the Jailbreak models also will be available for the 717-hp Challenger and Charger SRT Hellcat, a move that Dodge says will offer more customers the ability to configure their own "one-of-a-kind" vehicles. Production concludes at the end of 2023.

Challenger: The speedy coupe's last year will mirror that of the Charger. It will see heritage models, more paint colors to choose from and wider availability of custom Jailbreak configurations. The gasoline version of the Challenger, like the Charger, goes out of production at the end of 2023. Production of the next-generation model on the STLA Large platform for EVs is slated to begin in 2024.

Hornet: Dodge's first plug-in hybrid entry, which gets more than 30 miles of electric range, makes its debut next spring. The compact crossover's gasoline-powered version will start under $30,000 and arrives this year.

The R/T plug-in will surpass 285 hp while generating 383 pound-feet of torque. It will have a class-exclusive PowerShot feature that supplies an extra 25-hp burst on demand at 15-second intervals. The conventional GT trim employs the Hurricane 4 engine, a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline four-cylinder that Dodge says will be the segment's most powerful gasoline engine with at least 265 hp and 295 pound-feet of torque.

Durango: The athletic three-row utility vehicle will live on. Dodge is bringing back the Hellcat trim for the 2023 model year. The Hellcat variant was initially planned for only a one-year run in 2021, but Dodge found a way to meet emissions requirements and unleash it again.