Dodge and Opel take on the Ford Mach E with new EV muscle cars

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Photo: Opel

Many people have turned to the bold trend of the new Ford Mustang Mach-E, which is based on the pedigree of a Mustang sports coupe with electric rear crossover or all-wheel drive. Despite the controversy, it’s a good car with great performance, but the true power of the EV is on the corner.

We’ve been pretty busy combing through this week’s big Stellantis announcement with a roadmap for new hybrid, electric and plug-in vehicles built on four new platforms. The US is expected to have eight new models in the next five years, with more than 50 models globally across the various automakers in the conglomerate consisting of Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, Ram, Citroen, DS, Lancia, Maserati, Opel, Peugeot and Vauxhall.

Photo: Chrysler

While each brand’s new EV logo is pretty silly, there were also plenty of product announcements. Jeep is developing an all-new electric off-road vehicle that looks bigger than the Wrangler. There was also a look at Chrysler’s EV crossover apparently modeled after the recent 200 sedan and Pacifica van design. The thrill of the upcoming EV Ram truck was more interesting, but I’m super excited that brands aren’t giving up on high-performance cars.

So far, Stellantis has confirmed two new all-electric muscle cars are in development, and has also provided teaser models for both new models – one for the US and one for Europe, it seems. The first is from Dodge, which refers to the new model so far as “eMuscle,” and is scheduled for 2024.

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Photo: Dodge

The teaser appears to show the front end of a futuristic electric vehicle with the glowing Fratzog logo prominently in the center – a response to the triangle Dodge shape used to decorate its models in the 1960s and 1970s.

Based on Stellantis’ offering, the model will be built on a platform capable of up to 500 miles of range, and possibly also a ton of power and torque. It’s not clear if this muscle car will wear a Charger or Challenger panel, or finally make an appearance in the long-popular Barracuda or Cuda panel, and we also don’t know if it will have a two- or four-door just yet.

The Dodge model will likely not be sold in Europe. Enter Opel with the all-electric Manta muscle car announced this week. The car appears to be inspired by the Restomod electric Manta GSe project that the automaker revealed earlier this year.

Photo: Opel

While it makes sense that Dodge and Opel are very similar cars under the skin, Manta would probably take a tamer approach and possibly a smaller one. So far, our only potential glimpse is this little view of the lights under a sheet of product roadmap:

Photo: Opel

The four Stellantis platforms are for the small, medium, large and tire segments (eg trucks, vans, etc.). Auto News Europe reports that the latter two are likely targeting the US market with larger vehicles and higher horsepower applications that require more battery customization. Small and medium platforms are more likely than smaller European offerings and premium vehicles across brands, and that could include the new Manta.

If the Opel Manta EV gets one of the smaller platforms, it will likely have a claimed minimum of just over 300 miles, and the model has been announced to go on sale by 2030.

The funny thing about all of this is that totally unmanly electric cars with a perfectly pronounced face, and things like the Tesla Model X minivan, are perfectly straight beasts and would grill most cars out there that would be considered “real muscle.” But if you’re a Dodge or an Opel, what other options do you have but amplify your old photo?

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