Dodge chief Tim Kuniskis says EVs won't mean end of muscle car fun

PONTIAC, Mich. — The last generation of Dodge's muscle cars roared as professional drivers whipped passengers around during wild drifts at an annual gathering here dedicated to gearhead culture.

Nearby, Dodge's speedsters and the powerful Ram 1500 TRX pickup gave the public a taste of drag racing with intense launches during thrill rides.

Real drag racing was on the slate, too, with a colorful mix of vintage and modern cars that had been customized and tuned to reach their full potential during competition.

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis, who recently became Ram's CEO as well, said this spirit of performance isn't going anywhere as electric vehicles become more prevalent.

The Dodge-sponsored Roadkill Nights event Aug. 12 was an ode to the gurgling V-8 engines the edgy brand has built its name on, but the future also was on display as the Hellcat era comes to an end.

The Charger Daytona SRT Concept, which has a unique roar of its own, was on the scene for onlookers to check out, and the compact Dodge Hornet GT crossover and its R/T plug-in hybrid variant were available for test drives. The Hornet is the brand's first electrified vehicle. Dodge will move into full electrification next year with a Charger EV.

Kuniskis said the capabilities of EVs will steadily turn heads and gain a following.

When it comes to the EV transition, "everybody's panicked about it," Kuniskis told Automotive News. "It is what it is. This is the regulation. This is where the industry is going. This is what we have to do."

Kuniskis said the industry is in a similar position as it was in the 1970s, when regulations put a shackle on muscle cars. But Kuniskis feels this moment is different. He sees manufacturers delivering fun EVs with plenty of punch for speed lovers.

"There's tons of potential in this technology," Kuniskis said. "I get it: Not everybody is adopting to this technology right away, and not everybody will. It will take many years for everybody to, but people will. Early adopters will, and when they see what we can do with this technology, they will start coming along.

"Eventually people will see that this technology can make something cool and fun. It's probably going to sound different, but people tuning cars, making cars faster and competing against each other will not go away. They say the first drag race occurred the second the second car was built. People are going to compete. People are going to compete to have a cooler, faster, funner car and it's not going to change."

While looking toward that future, Kuniskis has to bridge the gap before the next-generation Charger arrives in the second or third quarter of 2024.

Kuniskis said inventories of today's Challenger and Charger will climb as the automaker stocks up before shutting down production of them in December.

Kuniskis continues to shepherd Dodge while handling additional responsibilities from Ram, which he assumed leadership of July 1.

Adding trucks to his task list sounds like a major shift from the world of muscle cars, but Kuniskis said there's overlap.

The TRX was on the scene during Roadkill Nights showing off its 702 hp during thrill rides on the street. During last year's event, the TRX blasted through an off-road course and jumped hills that gave the truck some serious airtime.

Buyers of pickups and muscle cars, Kuniskis said, are often the same people.

"Inside the company, these brands are independent little businesses, but to the outside world, the customers see these as the same company," Kuniskis said. "They see Jeep, Chrysler, Dodge, Ram, everything in the same showroom.

"So they realize that it's all part of one family. But what people forget is pickup trucks today are so popular that they cross over so many different buyer profiles. The No. 1 garage mate of a muscle car is a pickup truck. The people that are here for performance cars also love trucks, and the people who love trucks also love muscle cars, so there's a natural affinity between the two."

Dodge is using the same blueprint for the Hornet as it did for the Durango about a decade before: Carve out a performance niche that separates it from other options in the segment.

Pushing the Durango in the "Brotherhood of Muscle" alongside the Charger and Challenger has worked for the burly SUV, which Kuniskis referred to as a "three-row Charger." The brand hopes the Hornet can have similar success with finding its niche.

The Hornet was available for test drives during Roadkill Nights, an event that drew more than 42,000 attendees, to get valuable exposure.

"That to me is a huge extension of your very expensive TV advertising," Kuniskis said, "going to where that buyer is and showing them something that they probably are not looking at today."