2022 Year In Review

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It wasn’t a great year for the hobby…

If you feel like gearheads are getting hit with a lot of bad news lately, we can sadly confirm plenty of alarming things dominated the hobby this year. We’re not trying to be pessimistic but instead want to just tell things straight as we see them, so make sure you’re sitting down, take a deep breath, and remember next year could be better.

Watch a tuned Toyota Supra race a Dodge Hellcat here.

States Ban Gas Cars

One of the biggest news trends we saw in 2022 was states following through on pledges to ban both gas- and diesel-powered passenger cars in different ways. This had been on the horizon for a while, but Washington state jumped ahead of California, revealing in early April a ban on ICE car registrations by 2030. About two weeks later, California followed through with its ban on the sale of ICE engines by 2035.

As if that wasn’t enough, some cities in California started banning the construction of new gas stations or the addition of new pumps. Of course, those cities encouraged the addition of vehicle chargers at gas stations, all while rolling blackouts were causing headaches.

In October, New York state revealed its ICE passenger vehicle  ban set to take effect in 2035. Other states have been following suit, like Virginia which had a trigger law tied to California enacting a ban. Last count, 17 states were either following California’s lead or considering doing so.

Lest you think all automakers’ executives love this shift, some CEOs and board presidents have said some harsh things about the bans and all-in march to electrification. These include top leadership from Stellantis, Toyota, BMW, and Aston Martin.

Dodge Starts Taking A Dive

We’ve loved most of what Dodge has been doing for the past several years, especially since the Hellcat launched in 2015, but it looks like the good times are coming to a close. We’re not reveling in this fact, despite some accusing us of being Dodge haters (some of us own Dodges, so you know), but instead this fills us with a measure of sorrow. Still, we can’t deny the truth.

One of the biggest and most bizarre examples was the reveal of the concept Dodge battery-electric “muscle car” the Daytona SRT Banshee. In a way it looks good, in a way it looks horrible, but more concerning is we have zero specs and no firm timeline for a market-ready model. Also, the fake exhaust tone demonstration was laughably bad.

We knew in late 2021 rumors were flying the Hellcat would be discontinued, but there was still confusion about whether the Charger and Challenger nameplates would continue, as would the Hemi or any V8 engine. In March we received some clarification as Stellantis revealed the Hurricane inline-6 engine, declaring the twin-turbo version “delivers V8 levels of power.” That seemed to indicate the Hemi was done for. Dodge still hasn’t clarified that entirely, with executives saying contradictory things in interviews and the PR department releasing ambiguous language.

Supposedly to celebrate the end of the current-gen Charger and Challenger which apparently will see a new generation, Dodge decided to release some limited-edition “Last Call” models. They seemed more like a cash grab as they were all cosmetic packages, not introducing any crazy, new mechanical upgrades to the lineups.

The final “Last Call” model was supposed to introduce a big increase in power, but Dodge said it was delayed from its scheduled SEMA Show unveiling because of supply chain problems. Then it was revealed the problem included the unfortunate habit of the Hemi V8 blowing up, a perfect metaphor for what’s going on with Dodge these days.

Car Thefts Keep Accelerating Out Of Control