Ultimately, while manufacturer resource sharing helps to keep costs down to an extent, developing a new platform or models is a very expensive exercise. There are so many elements that go into creating a new offering, from thinking up the latest and greatest technology, to testing them to destruction to ensure that they’ll prove to be a dependable companion on a day-to-day basis. Stellantis recently had to kill off two of these ultra-expensive projects, both for Dodge and Ram, with the global giant throwing away billions in the process.
The logic of axing both is there though, as it could have easily lost a ton more cash had it continued throwing money at the problem. The reasons for their early bath aren’t limited only to Stellantis either, as the wider automotive world has had to grapple with the same challenges.
Dodge’s Supercar-Slaying EV Was A Key Casualty
Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee ConceptStellantis
The first of these specimens was the Dodge Charger Banshee, which was set to be the range-topping version of the recently-released Charger electric vehicle. The machine was set to receive a bespoke tri-motor powertrain that delivered a tire-burning 800 horsepower to the driven wheels, which would have resulted in some beefy tire marks had it reached production. The model was envisioned as the successor to the Charger SRT Hellcat, that supercharged V8 devil which existed only to cause chaos wherever it went. Ultimately, it’s likely Dodge would have struggled to sell many of these things in the face of the more affordable Charger Daytona, and this is where the crux of the problem lies.
The brand has failed to sell as many of the cheaper offerings as it wanted, leading to concerns that the wild EV Charger would fare even worse. As a result, the project was culled in September 2025, before it got even further down the road. This wasn’t the only new vehicle to have been lost in 2025 from the giant, however.
Stellantis Also Killed Off Its Forward-Thinking Truck
2025 Ram 1500 REV rear 3/4 angle in gray while parkedRam
Stellantis was evidently enjoying its grim reaper routine in September 2025, as just a couple of weeks before the Charger announcement, it revealed that its all-electric Ram 1500 REV would also go the way of the dodo. Before evolution had even created it, obviously. Anyway, it felt that releasing a 1500 EV would be a grave mistake, so it instead decided to mix things up a bit. While the REV name was retained, it essentially replaced the 1500 Ramcharger in the range. This meant that rather than rely purely on a battery, the truck uses a 3.6-liter V6 to power the electric motors, affording it a much more palatable range.
Discussion
Can you actually save $10,000 on a new car?
A provision in the One, Big, Beautiful Bill Act (OBBBA) allows taxpayers to deduct up to $10,000 in interest paid on interest towards a loan for a new vehicle purchase. This sounds like a great deal, especially as the $7,500 EV credit just expired. Unfortunately, the term “up to” is doing some heavy lifting, and you would need to finance around $167,000 to accrue that much interest. The legislation sets income caps — $100,000 for single filers and $200,000 for joint filers — so it’s unlikely that anyone will actually benefit from the full amount. Instead, most people will likely save around $500 to $600 per year. Is that enough to make you consider buying a new car?
The Struggling EV Industry Has Led Stellantis Down This Path
2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack. All-electric. EV. Drag strip. Front, three-quartersStellantis / Dodge
Ultimately, there was one primary reason these projects were cut before they could reach fruition. EVs are having a tough time at the moment, as buyers are voting with their wallets and showing that they aren’t yet ready to throw away the benefits of a traditional ICE vehicle. At the end of the day, EVs still lack the outright range that a normal engine can offer, while a distinct lack of charging infrastructure across the US further adds to this problem. Range anxiety is a real issue, and is keeping people from investing in a new EV.
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Speaking of money, they’re jolly expensive to buy in the first place, too. Take the Ford F-150 as a good example, as the truck was recently available in ICE and EV form. While the standard ICE version started from just $38,810 in 2025, the Lightning EV started from a shade under $63k. It’s a huge amount more money for a vehicle that is more compromised than an ICE truck from the moment you hand over your bag of cash. The difference in value was extended further following the scrapping of the EV tax credit in late 2025 by the Trump administration, which meant you had to pay the full asking price for a once-discounted EV.
Falling EV Sales Versus Hybrids Forced Stellantis To Take Action
2025 Honda Accord Hybrid rear 3/4Honda
These issues have led to the sales of EVs to recede once more, forcing Stellantis into a different direction. It had invested heavily into future EV technology, but it realized that standard ICE and hybrid models were still the preferred option for new car buyers. That’s why it felt ditching the fledgling Ram 1500 EV and Charger Banshee projects would be worthwhile in the short to medium term, replacing them with essentially an ICE, with the Charger Hellcat rumored to make a return, and an EREV in the shape of the 1500 REV.
The Automotive Industry At Large Has Suffered From Falling EV Demand
2025 Ford F-150 Lightning side angle in gray while driving on a dirt roadFord
These problems don’t only affect Stellantis, as every automaker active in the US that has invested heavily in EV infrastructure has been burned. The end of the EV tax credit proved to be a real thorn in the side of EV sales, with 437,487 examples being sold across the US in Q3 2025, the last opportunity for people to benefit from the up-to $7,500 discount. In Q4, following the end of the scheme in the US, sales had slumped to just 234,171, a drop of 46.5%.
2025 Quarter
US EV Sales
2025 Q2
310,839
2025 Q3
437,487
2025 Q4
234,171
This phenomenon has led brands to completely change their plans, with Ford completely ditching its F-150 Lightning in favor of an EREV version of the truck, much like Stellantis is doing. Honda has followed suit by canceling plans for its 0 Series EV SUV as a result of the weakening appetite for electric, while the likes of BMW and Toyota saw the writing on the wall a while ago, and instead plowed more money into continued hybrid development. Stellantis is now following suit, but all the while opening up an avenue we thought may have been long gone.
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Stellantis Has Swiveled To Give Gearheads What They Want
2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX from the front three-quarter angleRam
Aside from looking more towards hybrids for the medium term, Stellantis has also granted its American brands the chance to resurrect its Street and Racing Technology department. Better known as SRT, the outlet took care of all of Dodge, Jeep, and RAM’s performance-focused models. It, and all the awesome machines it pumped out, was shut down in 2021 as the company bet all its money on EVs, but this reversal in approach led to SRT’s return in 2025.
How Stellantis’ US Collective Is Attempting To Recover From Its Failed EV Bid
Focusing on developing hybrids
Bringing back enthusiast models like SRT-badged cars, Hemi V8-engined Ram 1500
Feeding into racing heritage by re-entering NASCAR
Having confirmed several SRT models will be introduced by 2030, we already know that we’ll be getting a new RAM 1500 SRT TRX, with a thumping 6.2-liter supercharged V8 already confirmed to feature under the hood. Alongside this, a standard 1500 with a Hemi V8 was also reborn. The Durango SRT will also live on for a bit longer, while a new Charger Hellcat would make sense. Expect an SRT-badged Jeep at some stage, too. Hell, the brand has even reentered the NASCAR arena with a factory program in the Truck Series for 2026, with a future Cup project in its sights. Stellantis recognized that it had gone a long way to alienating passionate gearheads and consumer buyers alike, and is now doing all the right things in restoring the public’s confidence in the company.
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Heavily investing in hybrids and SRT-badged performance models is raising the excitement stakes for its American outlets, and could be a crucial approach that allows it to recoup many of the losses it has had to swallow by focusing on EVs over the last half-decade. This approach likely won’t act as a golden ticket to riches, but chances are the company isn’t on a fast track to death anymore.
Sources: Stellantis.
