Mopar Teases Electric Crate Swap, Maybe

by Matthew Guy

Published: October 10th, 2023

The annual SEMA show in Las Vegas is rapidly approaching, meaning car companies will surely be dangling umpteen teaser images of what they’ve in store for this soirée in the desert. Stellantis is usually good for an outrageous reveal or three, and they’ve started off this year with an electrified bang.

There isn’t a ton of information to go on in this promotional shot – but there’s more than enough to make a few educated guesses. The slab-flat hood definitely looks like a late-‘60s Charger, given the scalloped lines and overall shape. Peeking through one of the four hood vents are indications of electrification, or at least a CGI representation thereof, with a few blue lights and who-know-what else.

Less subtle clues are in Mopar’s declaration its fans should “get ready for a jolt” and promises that a “serious charge” is coming from the company. That’s about as understated as a frying pan to the face, which is actually par for the course for the likes of Mopar. Beyond the image and dad-joke-level PR copy, we’re left to speculate.

Which, of course, we are only too glad to do. Since the photo shows what really appears to be a classic Dodge or Plymouth instead of something modern, we feel this is not a production-ready variant of the upcoming Charger Daytona which was making the auto show rounds in recent times. Rather, there’s every chance in the world we’re looking at a teaser shot for the announcement of an EV crate powertrain, perhaps something of an answer to what GM Performance is hawking with their eCrate line of power solutions.

Some of those offerings from The General include parts of the entire package whilst others include the whole kit and kaboodle: battery, motor system, the works. For example, one solution has a 66-kWh lithium-ion pack and 400-volt electric drive motor designed to connect directly to a GM 4-speed automatic transmission. The unit belts out 200 horsepower and 266 lb-ft of torque, far less than most built V8 engines but more than enough to shove something along on a Friday night cruise. Just be prepared for backlash when you open its hood at the Tastee Freez.

The 2023 SEMA Show is being held October 31 – November 3 in Las Vegas.

[Image: Mopar]

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Matthew Guy

Matthew buys, sells, fixes, & races cars. As a human index of auto & auction knowledge, he is fond of making money and offering loud opinions.

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4 of 26 comments

Ajla on Oct 11, 2023

I think you'll see a price drop of around 25% in the future but you won't see a crash either.
Interest in pre-1975 vehicles among Millennials and GenX people isn't that soft, they just don't tend to attend car shows or car clubs.

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- Dukeisduke on Oct 11, 2023
  
  There are younger people with an interest in classic cars and hot rods - folks on Instagram like Liv Scaffidi, Travis Black, Alex Taylor (who grew up in the hobby), Natasha Adams, The Beetle Chick, and others. They're out there.
  
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- Jeff on Oct 11, 2023
  
  If you go on You Tube to Rare Classic Cars, Adam Wade who is in his 30s features many of the cars from the 60s thru the 90s and has an extensive collection of survivor cars from those times. Adam collects mainly full size cars both 2 doors and 4 doors from those eras. Adam tells you where to look for these cars and what types of cars can be bought at an affordable price and enjoyed. Most of us think of the muscle and pony cars from those eras which Adam says is prohibitive in price for many collectors just getting into the hobby. Many of the cars from the 80s and 90s are rising in value because most of them have been used up and junked. IROC Camaros were numerous and could be bought inexpensively not too long ago but now they are hard to find especially in good shape and the value of them is rising. Many of the Japanese cars from the 80s and 90s have been rising in value since there are so few left that are in good condition. I believe interest in cars will continue but it will be different with each generation which for the most part will want to collect the cars that they grew up with but could not afford at that time. There might not be as many in future generations interested but there will always be a group that is interested. For the older generations that are enthusiasts we need to keep the interest alive for future generations and realize that the cars we are interested in might not be the ones that the following generations are interested in. Also if saving a survivor car or one from the junk yard means that it is converted to an EV we should not mock that if it keeps that vehicle from disappearing and it keeps the interest in cars alive. If those of us are interested in the keeping and preserving cars alive we need to be accepting of future generations and more accepting of what types of vehicles that they are interested in otherwise the hobby dies when the last of us dies.
  
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Original Guy on Oct 11, 2023

Good.

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