There seems to be a trend in the automotive industry right now to give tuners limited access to their own models and only allow certain modifications. For example, Ford has announced that it will only allow authorized tuners access to its next-gen pony car, the 2024 Mustang. And now Dodge is following suit. With the launch of the new all-electric 2024 Charger, third-party vendors will no longer be able to offer performance upgrades for the manufacturer's models.
Dodge Closes The Door On Powertrain Modifications
In an interview with Carscoops, Dodge boss Tim Kuniskis explained the brand's rationale. He said the company doesn't want to lock down cars so they can't be modified. Rather, Dodge wants models to be modified in-house in the future so "we [Dodge] know it's done right." So, Dodge doesn't seem to have increased confidence in tuners' ability to handle electric motors, which is why it wants to eliminate their access altogether. Furthermore, the brand would like to profit more from the sales from the tuning business itself in the future, instead of leaving this lucrative branch of business to third-party suppliers.
Kuniskis confirmed that the availability of tuning packages at dealers is to be increased. He's aware that in the new electric age, dealers could generate less revenue from servicing vehicles. Instead, they can increase their revenues in the future by offering a wider range of approved tuning parts. A first taste of this is provided by Dodge's Direct Connection program, which includes various styling and performance modifications and can provide more than 1,000 horsepower to the top version of the electric Charger.
Upgrades For Suspension And Styling Still Available
However, Kuniskis also anticipates that tuners will try to hack the electric system of the new models in the future to increase performance. For this reason, Dodge plans to tie future performance upgrades to a "crystal" embedded in the dashboard and linked to each vehicle's VIN. This is intended to make it more difficult for tuners to make modifications and only allow the company's own upgrades called eStage 1 and eStage 2. According to Kuniskis, however, the upgrades will remain transferable in the event of a change of ownership.Tuners, therefore, will only be able to offer upgrades for chassis and styling. It remains to be seen whether this will ultimately be the case and whether some third-party suppliers will try to offer performance upgrades for the electric Charger and other future models.