Dodge says its future performance cars will be electrified

The Charger and the Challenger will undergo massive changes.

Dodge will invest in various forms of electrification to ensure stricter emissions regulations don't neuter its cars, according to one of its top executives.

"I think the absolute future is electrification of these cars. That's not necessarily bad. It could be [battery electric], it could be [plug-in hybrid], it could be regular hybrid, could be e-axles, any one of the number of electric technologies. But I am a firm believer that electrification will be the key to high performance in the future," affirmed Tim Kuniskis, head of passenger cars for Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), in an interview with Automotive News.

Kuniskis spoke after Dodge revealed the wide-body variants of the Charger Scat Pack and Charger Hellcat (pictured), and he was referring to high-end variants of the company's mainstream models. His comments come shortly after insiders revealed the Challenger Hellcat was in line to receive some form of electrification.

The cost of electrification technology remains a problem. Dodge hasn't launched an electrified performance car yet because the technology remains too expensive.

"We don't have the price points of the batteries down to a place where, quite honestly, it's a mainstream proposition," he explained. He acknowledged going hybrid adds a level of performance not available in a muscle car with a big V8; he cited the Porsche 918 Spyder, the Acura NSX, and the Ferrari LaFerrari as examples.

"There's absolutely a performance advantage to it, it's just a question of when the consumer acceptance is going to be for that. And, I think it's going to be as soon as the price points come down, it becomes a mainstream viable option," he concluded.

His comments suggest the current variants of the Charger and the Challenger will not go hybrid before the end of their production run. However, their successor is believed to be in the works, and those models will receive some form of electrification. They're expected to arrive in the early 2020s.