We would have preferred the resurrection of the Stealth sports car, but that's not the way of the world anymore.
According to a new report from MotorTrend, Stellantis is set to replace the Dodge Durango with an electrified SUV wearing the Stealth name. As you may recall, the Stealth is a previously-used name in Dodge's arsenal, having formerly found itself on a rebadged Mitsubishi 3000 GT. Yet again, it appears that an automaker will be sullying a sporty name with a very unsporting vehicle, but it's a period of reinvention for Dodge, and it wants new products with novel powertrains to be cool.
So what can we expect? Among other things, a totally new look is in the cards for the midsize SUV that replaces the Durango, while the Durango itself is expected to evolve.
Dodge
MotorTrend theorizes that the Durango name may still live on in a new segment, swelling in size to become a larger SUV with body-on-frame construction thanks to Wagoneer underpinnings. That would leave room for the Stealth to reinvent the Durango's old recipe, and MotorTrend expects that the Stealth will appear on either the new WL platform utilized by the Grand Cherokee L or the STLA Large platform. The latter was designed chiefly for fully electric vehicles but can also accommodate hybrids, which opens the possibility for the new 3.0-liter Hurricane twin-turbo six-cylinder engine to be used with some form of electrification. Either way, a hybrid component is practically inevitable.
Dodge
Pricing should be around the $40,000 mark, which is exactly where the current Durango starts. If Dodge can make that happen, losing the Hemi V8 and changing the name of the SUV could be easier to swallow. Unfortunately, we will likely have a long wait ahead of us to confirm any of this, as the Stealth will likely arrive for the 2025 model year. If so, we will only get pricing and trim details next year.
In the meantime, buyers will have to make do with the current Durango or downsize to the Dodge Hornet, another piece of badge engineering that Americanizes the Alfa Romeo Tonale.
Dodge
Keyword: Dodge Stealth To Be Reborn As Electrified Durango Replacement