By Steven Symes 
In a splashy article that reads more like a press release from Stellantis’ media site, Newsweek recently profiled the new Dodge CEO, Matt McAlear and his hope for the future of the brand. Of course, it’s the guy’s job to put on a smiling face to the media and do whatever the bosses in Europe direct. But at the same time it’s ours to point out your can’t polish a turd or tell us Dodge is on the cusp of a bright new future.
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But like most enthusiasts, we’re not happy with the change coming over Dodge. It’s obvious the European leadership inside Stellantis is driving this new direction. Hemi V8s are gone and along with them the Hellcat and Redeye models.
In their place are all-electric and straight-six models we’re being told are better, faster, more powerful. If in fact those powertrains are so good, we wonder why Dodge has delayed their release so long? And why doesn’t the brand just let them speak for themselves.
After all, when the Hellcats first came out, we didn’t have to be told repeatedly how good they are. People drove them and were blown away. Same with the Redeyes.
Whenever an automaker has to do a hard sell on a performance vehicle, we know it’s a stinker. Enthusiasts will sniff that stuff out and they’re all over Dodge’s spin, especially the claim that the new Hurricane engines are so much better than the Hellcats. The only people buying that also think the Honda Accord should be considered a muscle car at this point.
McAlear seems to think all the resistance is just about Dodge enthusiasts hating change. “People are always gonna push back,” he told Newsweek. “When you bring something new and different, it’s natural, right? We get comfortable with what we love, right?”
It’s a convenient way to explain what’s going on, but unfortunately it shows the guy doesn’t understand muscle car enthusiasts, not even a little. His predecessor acted like he did, but when his French, Italian, and Dutch bosses told him to ditch V8s, he also found a way to spin the transition like it was a big improvement.
What’s most insulting is McAlear calls the Viper, Hellcat, Scat Pack, and Demon as “stepping stones for the future.” That’s insulting to those cars’ legacies. Dodge will faceplant along with the rest of Stellantis, then enthusiasts will be blamed. The executives at the company need to look at themselves in the mirror and admit they don’t get what made Dodge and the other American brands popular. It’s time to just sell them back to Americans who do before the whole ship sinks under the weight of the executive hubris.
Image via Stellantis
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