ANOTHER SPORTS CAR NAMEPLATE IS BECOMING AN ELECTRIC SUV
Over the years, automotive enthusiasts have been forced to accept that automakers are more than willing to use a once-sporty nameplate to sell a crossover or SUV. The Ford Mustang Mach-E is a fine example, and so is the Mitsubishi Eclipse Cross, and now it's Dodge's turn. Remember the Stealth from the 1990s? That's expected to become the reincarnated Dodge Durango SUV, according to a report from Automotive News Canada.
2025 Dodge Durango
AutoForecast Solutions' global forecasting VP Sam Fiorani, who has a history of correctly predicting the moves at Stellantis' Windsor, Ontario plant, says the Durango will be replaced by a smaller SUV called the Stealth. He predicts that the Durango will end production in July 2027, and thereafter, things will be changing significantly. The SUV is currently built alongside the Jeep Grand Cherokee at the Detroit Assembly Complex in Michigan.
"There are no plans for another model spun off from the Jeep model for Dodge. Filling the void in the Dodge lineup will be a new model launched in early 2027. Production will be at the Windsor plant and the new, slightly smaller sport-utility [vehicle] will be called Stealth."
- Sam Fiorani, Vice President of Global Forecasting, AutoForecast Solutions
The Durango Nameplate Is Expected To Go Extinct
Last year, reports on the future of Stellantis SUVs suggested that the Durango would be replaced in 2026, but as we've seen from the Durango SRT Hellcat's continued existence on the market, despite being initially offered a single-model-year special edition, Dodge has been forced to keep the three-row SUV alive until other new products arrive. Customers still like the Durango, and until there's a viable alternative, it makes sense to keep the current model alive and revitalize the entire range with all-new products later. We can't imagine that Dodge would be absent from the three-row SUV market for long, but those new products may take a while to arrive.
"A larger variation [of the new Stealth-badged SUV] carrying the Durango badge was also expected to enter production in Michigan, but that model has been canceled."
- Sam Fiorani, VP of Global Forecasting, AutoForecast Solutions
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Automotive News reports that the Stealth will be a five-seat crossover built on the STLA Large platform that can accommodate internal combustion and all-electric powertrains. This fits with what we were previously expecting for the next Durango, and if earlier reports are to be believed, the smaller Durango replacement will help Chrysler launch its first new model in years. We expect to see both crossovers revealed by the end of 2026 or early the following year.
You Can FINALLY Order The First-Ever Electric Dodge Muscle Car
But you're going to have to wait until next year to get the six-cylinder gas version.
Hurricane Power, But No Sports Car Thrills
The use of the STLA Large architecture allows for the fitment of the Hurricane straight-six engine, a 3.0-liter twin-turbo plant that was developed in various states of tune for various applications and can be electrified. In High Output guise, this produces over 500 horsepower and 475 lb-ft of torque, which would be plenty for a sports car. So why isn't it being applied to one? The most obvious cause is that the vast majority of buyers prefer SUVs, and reintroducing this sinister name on a two-row crossover allows Dodge to attract buyers with a name they recognize.
Why not stick with the Durango name, then? Simple - buyers have come to associate that name with a larger three-row, and Dodge doesn't want to reduce its value and risk alienating buyers who expect such a thing. It's also worth remembering that the original Stealth was a rebadged Mitsubishi 3000GT that failed to sell well enough to exist for more than six model years (1991-1996), so it's not like Dodge will be diluting the legacy of an icon. We've heard rumors of this development before, so it's only a matter of time before Stellantis confirms these moves.