Dodge is Planning to Build the Fastest Muscle Car in Their History: Except It’s Electric

Demon, Hellcat, or Ghoul – take your pick – Dodge has a current lineup of muscle cars that have no problem pinning you in your seat. However, with the announcement of the new Tesla Plaid S taking over the headlines, Dodge came back and did what they do best – compete and make headlines of their own, which is why they dropped a bombshell about an electric muscle car that will be the fastest in their lineup.

Nobody wants to be outdone, especially an automotive manufacturer with a fruitful history like Dodge and its Hemi. However, Tesla came onto the scene and created a market that otherwise didn’t exist. They’ve stepped on some toes in the process with their recent “Quickest Production Car” crown and brought out the competitive juices of Dodge.

The Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, with its 840 horsepower and 770-pound-feet of torque (when using 100-octane), previously held the quarter-mile record with an astonishing 9.65-second run. That was until Tesla released their Model S Plaid, with 1,020 horsepower and 1,050-pound-feet of torque, and achieved it in 9.23 seconds. To stir the pot a little, Tesla has a 180 horsepower and and 280-pound-feet of torque advantage, so…

Electric vehicles have come a long way, and despite their gaudy torque numbers and ability to go fast in a straight line, they still don’t have the capabilities of an internal combustion engine, reliability being one of them. That doesn’t mean they aren’t improving drastically, which is why Dodge wants to jump in on the fun. This will be the first time Tesla has some real competition, not to say there haven’t been others in the market to this point like the Mustang Mach-E.

Unnamed sources revealed to The Detroit Bureau that Dodge is taking this opportunity to work on an electric muscle car, described as “the fastest car they’ve ever made.” There are two ways to feel about this – the first is that it’s awesome. We are witnessing the best horsepower wars in modern history and 1,000 horsepower is as common today as a Honda Civic.

However, another way to look at this is also auto companies are not only acknowledging the shift to an electric world, but they’re taking it seriously. Embracing the future isn’t bad, but change is, admittedly, hard.

Details at this stage are scarce, and CEO of Dodge, Tim Kuniskis, told Fox News Auto recently that “electrification is inevitable in this space. It will help internal combustion engines perform significantly better and in some cases electrification all by itself.”

His comments left us wondering what he meant – it will help internal combustion engines in this space? Could this mean an even faster internal gasoline-powered car could be in the works as well? Although we’re not quite sure by what he meant, we are sure of our trust in Dodge and their ability to produce next-level cars and guide us into the next chapter of the horsepower wars.