It’s not every day a Stellantis design chief gives your senior thesis a shoutout on social media, but that’s exactly what happened to John Carioti. While working on his senior project at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Carioti created a stunning Dodge muscle car that caught the eye of none other than Ralph Gilles, Stellantis’ Chief Design Officer.

Gilles, who oversees the styling for brands like Jeep, Ram, Dodge, Chrysler, and Maserati, isn’t exactly a rookie when it comes to spotting standout concepts. The Stellantis exec shared Carioti’s work on Instagram, captioning the post “Once again @ccs_detroit Seniors are Fire! ##.” It’s the kind of exposure that most young designers can only dream of, and it’s safe to assume it can do wonders for Carioti’s career.

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The [DODGE] project, which was part of an exhibition for the end of the academic year, looks like a worthy competitor to the Ford Mustang GTD,thanks to its oversized aero enhancements. It takes design cues from the Charger Daytona but features a smaller footprint, a fastback tail, and more aggressive proportions.

The front end is a showstopper. A massive chin spoiler leads the way, complemented by full-width LED headlights that flank a narrow pass-through grille. Air is directed through the grille and into a hollow vent on the hood. Given the Fratzog logos, it’s obviously designed for a fully electric powertrain. But hey, if your imagination drifts toward a supercharged Hemi V8 instead, no one’s going to judge you for it.

John Carioti / Instagram

The profile is just as striking, with muscular fenders, sharp creases on the doors, and large alloy wheels. At the back, the design doesn’t disappoint. The LED bar under the active rear spoiler adds an extra layer of visual drama, and the rear deck does away with the windscreen, following the same trend popularized by brands like Polestar and Avatr. Carioti has also presented a version with a fixed rear wing, which perfectly complements the rear diffuser.

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While Dodge is struggling to sell the electric Charger Daytona and is leaning heavily on the upcoming ICE-powered Charger SixPack, Carioti’s design offers a glimpse into what the future of muscle cars could look like. Sure, the public might not be fully ready for electric muscle cars just yet, but that’s no reason to disregard his vision.

As with most senior thesis projects, the [DODGE] is purely a design exercise with no plans for production. However, it’s a concept that could easily be adapted to house a Hemi V8, tapping into the more traditional, hardcore muscle car fanbase.

Carioti expressed his gratitude to Gilles for the shoutout, and we sincerely hope this marks the beginning of a successful career. With talent like his, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him helping to shape the future of muscle cars (well, yes, and SUVs, it goes with the territory these days…) at a Stellantis design studio.

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A post shared by John Carioti (@john.carioti)

Remember the outcry from enthusiasts when Ford unveiled the Mach-E in November 2019? They were worried Ford wanted to replace the iconic pony car with an EV but the automaker assured them that wasn’t going to happen. Five and half years later, however, fresh data from Ford shows it’s now the Mach-E that’s the sales winner and the gas-powered car that’s the niche proposition. Are we looking at the end of the road for the ‘real’ Mustang?

Ford’s registration figures reveal Mach-E sales grew 21 percent in Q1 2025 versus Q1 2024, the total number of deliveries jumping from 9,589 to 11,607, no doubt helped by incentives and the threat of federal tax credits going away. Still, that’s a healthy gain. While that was happening sales of the classic Mustang slid by 31.6 percent, dropping from 13,707 to 9,377. That means the Mustang EV is now more popular than the gas car, and by a wide margin.

Related: Ford Mach-E Sales 62% Up This Year, Mustang Keeps Losing To Itself

So modern electric vehicles good, retro-style gas cars bad, right? It’s not quite that simple, because sales of Ford’s F-150 Lightning EV dropped 7.2 percent in Q1 to 7,187 units, and Bronco registrations blew up by 35.4 percent to 32,595 units. The Bronco is now almost as popular as the more affordable Bronco Sport (33,363; up 5.7 percent) and Escape (37,357; up 2.1 percent).

Ford’s (combustion) F-series trucks also increased their sales by a whopping 24.5 percent to 190,389, helping Ford truck deliveries boom by 15 percent. But that wasn’t enough to prevent total sales of Ford-branded vehicles dropping 1.2 percent to 477,560 in the first quarter. Lincoln sales, by the way, dropped 4.7 percent to 23,731.

It’s said that the definition of madness is doing the same thing over and again and hoping for a different result. And it’s looking like Ford’s new-for-’24 Mustang didn’t really offer anything meaningfully new to help keep interest high. Sure, the $325k GTD is entering new territory, but the regular models didn’t.

Which isn’t to say they’re bad cars. We just drove a Mustang GT and found it great fun. But the sales figures prove buyers are looking elsewhere for their kicks at a time when the Mustang has almost no direct opposition, its Dodge (ICE) and Chevy rivals having both been axed.

What do you think is the answer to Ford’s Mustang sales crisis? Is it more power for the base cars, more frugal engines, a four-door coupe or maybe a lifted crossover body? Or should Ford have retired the Mustang at its 50th birthday and focused exclusively on improving the Mach-E and extending its family?

Ford sales Q1 2024 vs Q1 2025

As we enter the era of electric muscle cars, the question on everyone’s mind is: How do we compare them? In the latest U-Drag, we get as close to a direct comparison as you can ask for. The Ford Mustang Dark Horse squares off against the Dodge Charger Daytona in a battle of over 1,100 horsepower. Strap in, it’s about to get interesting.

The Stats: Not Always What They Seem

First, let’s talk about numbers because they can be deceptive or very telling. The Ford Mustang brings 500 horsepower (372 kW) and 418 lb-ft (566 Nm) of torque to the table from its naturally-aspirated, Gen-5 5.0-liter Coyote V8 engine. It tips the scales at 4,016 pounds (1,821 kg) and, like any true muscle car, sends all that power to the rear wheels.

Read: Can A $147K Corvette Z06 Beat A $371K Maserati MC20?

On the other side, we have the Charger—a different beast altogether. It’s all-electric and all-wheel drive. It makes 670 horsepower (499 kW) and 627 lb-ft (849 Nm) of torque. That’s a lot more than the Ford but the Dodge also weighs 5,972 pounds (2,708 kg). That’s nearly 33% heavier than the Mustang, which raises an important question: Does all that extra weight come with its own set of challenges?

The Race: Power vs. Handling

In theory, all of that should add up to better acceleration from the Dodge, but better braking and handling from the Ford. On tarmac, the first part of that prediction sure enough proves true. The Dodge rockets away from the Ford and puts a car length or more on it before the braking zone. Then, the Mustang begins to gain ground as the two enter the corner, and that’s where things start to get interesting.

In the past, electric vehicles really struggled toward the top-end of the speedometer. Now, things are different and the Charger uses its brute force to roll away from the corner and keep its lead. In race two, things are mostly the same but the ending is a bit different. Once again, the Charger leads off the line and into the corner.

There, the Mustang begins to pull ahead as it corners harder and exits a bit quicker. In fact, it does so well that it has at least a car-length lead on the Dodge as the two head for home. Sadly for Ford, the Mustang just doesn’t have enough power to get away though.

Close, But Not Quite Enough

The Dodge slowly but surely reels in the pony car and takes this victory 2-0. It’s a tight race, but when it’s all said and done, the Dodge Charger Daytona claims the win. The Mustang, for all its handling prowess, simply doesn’t have the power to hold off its electrified rival. Still, let’s not forget: the Mustang might have lost the race, but it sounds way more exciting doing it, no matter how hard Dodge tries to fake it with its synthetic Fratzonic engine noises.

Credit: Edmunds