Dodge giving away cars, adding ‘ambassador’ job
DETROIT — Dodge plans a 25-car giveaway and a new brand ambassador it’s calling “Chief Donut Maker” with a $150,000 salary and a Hellcat to drive as part of a two-year business plan it unveiled this week called “Never Lift.”
That’s a reference to never taking your foot off the accelerator, which is right in line with the Dodge ethos of more is better and there’s no such thing as too much horsepower.
Dodge brand CEO Tim Kuniskis is also promising news announcements every three months. It’s worth noting that Dodge plans to launch an electric muscle car in 2024, so it’s reasonable to assume some details might be on the way.
“Sure, some will be minor, but there will be a few that will be game changers,” Kuniskis said of the announcement plan in a video released by Stellantis, the automaker that owns Dodge along with Jeep, Ram and Chrysler.
Dodge, whose bread and butter has been high-powered gasoline engines, will be looking to reinvent itself as it enters the electrified performance car era.
A big part of the Never Lift announcement is the car giveaway, dubbed Operation 25/8, as in, to go above and beyond rather than just 24/7. Amazon is a partner in the program.
“The 25/8 dream-car giveaway will enlist the support of 25 superstars from the worlds of sports, music and automotive, with each offering muscle-car enthusiasts a chance to drive off with the new Dodge of their choosing. Amazon will also take part in the giveaway,” according to a news release.
Details on the Chief Donut Maker program, someone who also will get a logo-loaded wardrobe, are to be announced next year. No word yet on how to apply.
The brand will also roll out a network of elite dealerships it’s calling “Dodge Power Brokers” on Dec. 15.
“Every Dodge dealer in the country will continue to provide an outstanding sales and service experience. But Dodge Power Brokers dealers will offer everything an enthusiast needs to reach the next level of performance,” Kuniskis said in the release.
Part of the next level will include hosting performance clinics for enthusiasts and having a full lineup of Dodge performance models available for test drives, the release said.
The final piece of the plan involves the launch next month of the Direct Connection performance parts brand “as the exclusive source of the brand’s factory-backed performance parts and straight-from-the-manufacturer technical information.”
As an aside, a Free Press reporter asked a couple of spokespeople if there was any concern about a number of online references to the phrase “Never Lift,” such as from the Urban Dictionary, which notes (misspellings included), “too keep your foot firmly planted on the gas with complete disreguard for human life.” There was no immediate response.