Strange things are happening as the electric vehicle (EV) industry sits in limbo ahead of the incoming Trump administration’s plans to end tax incentives on EV purchases and production.
The latest exemple comes from Dodge, which is launching a marketing campaign ahead of the 2025 release of its first fully electric EV, the Daytona Charger.
The campaign, called “Save the Planet,” features a video with a view of Planet Earth, city skylines, oceans, and green open fields.
“We aren’t building electric vehicles because it’s trendy,” the video’s voice-over says. “We’re building them to make a difference.”
As the new electric Dodge Charger Daytona roars into action, the script goes on to say its goal is to save the planet from “all those lame, soulless, weak-looking, self-driving sleep pods everyone keeps polluting our streets with. That’s why we’re doing it.”
In a press release, Dodge further says the campaign wants to maintain the brand’s “irreverence.”
Even in EV form, Dodge has marketed the new Charger as an all-American “muscle car,” reminiscent of the 1960s version featured in the classic movie Bullitt and the Dukes of Hazzard TV series.
Dodge’s swipe at “self-driving sleep pods” might very well be aimed at least in part at Tesla. CEO Elon Musk, now a close adviser to President-elect Donald Trump, has endorsed ending the Biden administration’s EV incentives.
Musk, while acknowledging that ending EV rebates may hurt Tesla, has said it would be “devastating” to its competitors. At the same time, he has consistently pushed forward his belief that “the future is autonomous,” referring to the recent launch of its Robotaxi self-driving vehicle.
Meanwhile, Dodge parent Stellantis has said it will adopt the Tesla North American Charging Standard (NACS) connector for its EVs.
