It’s quite common for Mopar fans to fantasize about the Dodge Charger and Challenger getting a new platform and the desired outcome simply involves weight loss. And, driven by a new link between Alfa Romeo and Dodge involving the rumored Hornet crossover of the latter, a digital artist has decided to revive the old rumors—quite literally— about the said Dodge muscle duo migrating to the Giorgio platform that serves the Alfa Romeo Giulia sedan and Stelvio crossover.
With Alfa Romeo having recently introduced the production version of its Tonale small crossover, a series of allegedly leaked photos show an expected Dodge version of the newcomer that would trade the Italian’s luxury approach for a more budget-oriented one while hopefully preserving the performance. Inspired by this connection, pixel master Theottle proceeded to bring the Charger and the Giulia together.
The result is a rendering that places the front end of the Charger Hellcat onto the Giulia, albeit slightly pixel-shrunk to fit. The American model’s wheels are also present and while a similar process takes place at the back, the posterior retains more of the Italian macchina’s features, such as the aggressive boot lid upper edge.
At least to these eyes, the mix is stable and, if anything, proves that not just the Challenger, with its more pronounced retro vibes, but also the current Charger design could take some extra years on the market. And who wouldn’t want HEMIs with less weight to carry around?
Dodge’s future muscle cars, EV and all
Halfway through the previous decade, the rumor mill started talking about the next generation of the Charger and Challenger moving to the RWD-based Giorgio platform developed by Alfa Romeo. A few years later, though, the late FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne quashed those rumors, stating that the Alfa architecture is more suitable for the demands of European cars.
The executive added that North American customers would receive a thorough revision of the current Dodge platform—itself a 2011 update of an early-2000s Daimler-Chrysler development including Mercedes-Benz pieces.
However, with FCA having merged with PSA to become Stellantis meanwhile, current Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has announced major plans for the brand that may or may not follow the said plotline.
As such, we’ll get a drivable prototype of the company’s future all-electric muscle car—set for a 2024 production debut—while the current Charger and Challenger Hellcat, which are forcing the company to spend money on buying emission credits, are set to retire after 2023.
Stellantis’ upcoming twin-turbo 3.0L Tornado straight-six
Various reports talk about Stellantis preparing to introduce the long-rumored twin-turbo 3.0L straight-six GMTE6 engine this April. Codenamed Tornado and reportedly under development since 2017, the new engine would initially be offered alongside the tried-and-tested HEMI V8 across multiple Stellantis brands, such as Dodge, Ram, and Jeep.
In terms of platforms, the said eMuscle, which Dodge is preparing to introduce under the new Fratzhog logo, is expected to use the company’s already-showcased STLA Large electric platform.
However, in all this mix of official hints and rumors, there’s still hope for the next generation of internal combustion-powered Dodge muscle cars. And given that the Giorgio architecture now also underpins the 2021+ Jeep Grand Cherokee, perhaps the platform is suitable for some (2024) muscle cars after all.
