Stellantis gears up for an EV Future

Over the weekend, Stellantis announced the new Dodge Charger Daytona SRT EV and Ram’s electric pickup are expected late 2024. Automotive News reports that Alfa Romeo and Chrysler plan to drop all internal combustion engines in the years ahead. Those of us at Napleton News are afraid that means no more Hemi engines! The Hemi is Dead! Long live the Hemi!

Stellantis steps up

Arriving later to the EV shebang than most of the other guys, doesn’t mean that Stellantis doesn’t have anything going as far as Reddy Kilowatt is concerned. In fact, there are plenty of EVs scheduled to arrive at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram dealerships during the next couple of years. The first few trickles will begin at Ram stores with the ProMaster EV, which is scheduled to arrive later this year.

Electric Vehicle debuts will continue into 2024 and will feature new sheetmetal from Fiat, Dodge, Jeep and Ram. Dodge will delve into EV muscle after giving the world a glimpse of its vision last year with the Charger Daytona SRT concept. Jeep is carrying their 4xe further with the introduction of the Wrangler-inspired Recon and the stylish Wagoneer S EV. A Wagoneer plug-in hybrid is also in the mix.

Future Shock

There are others that will make a showing before long. Such future products from Stellantis will include:

• Electric Ram EV–arrives in 2024
• Alfa Romeo—discontinues all gasoline models
• Fiat 500e returns to the U.S. in 2024
• Chrysler Electric Crossover—expected in 2025

The redesigned Fiat 500e is already on sale in Europe. It will launch in the U.S. early next year and likely compete against Chevrolet’s Bolt, Hyundai’s Kona EV and others. The new Ram 1500 EV will face the Chevrolet Silverado EV and the Ford F-150 Lightning when it appears in late 2024. Future product reveals include an electric Chrysler crossover, to arrive in 2025 and a midsize Ram pickup with an electric variant that may emerge in 2026.

Experts suggest these battery-powered entries will price in above the $25,000 range that Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares has called the “sweet spot” for affordable EVs. He and other Stellantis company officials have stated “That’s the elephant in the room for everybody,”

Mike Koval Jr., RAM CEO,   said at the 1500 REV unveiling in April. “The cost of electrification is expensive, so for sure we need to protect the profitability of our current in-market [internal combustion engine] business to help fund the transition to electrification.”

Several brands already have set targets for when they will drop gasoline engines. Alfa Romeo, one of Stellantis’s brands, anticipates EVs will be responsible for half of its U.S. sales by 2030. Stellantis expects EVs will be responsible for nearly all vehicles sold in Europe during that same time.