Home » We Made A Dumb Mistake On That Dodge Charger Headline And We’re Sorry

We Made A Dumb Mistake On That Dodge Charger Headline And We’re Sorry

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The initial headline on our recent Dodge Charger post, “Dodge Will Pay Current Charger Drivers $8,500 To Try The Electric Daytona,” was misleading and inaccurate, and we’re here to tell you that, even though it was unintentional, we know it was unacceptable, and we’ll do whatever we can to prevent it in the future. So let’s talk about it.

Dear readers, one of you just pointed me to the Dodge Charger post from yesterday, and I’ll come right out and say it: Though I was not the writer or editor, I am the EIC of this site, so every failure falls on my shoulders. This post — a really simple story whose facts should have been easy to get right — was a failure, and I’m sorry.

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The article mentioned that current lessees can get a new Dodge Charger Daytona EV with a $7500 Federal EV rebate plus $1,000 loyalty cash (“2024 Returning Lessee Private Offer”) — so $8,500 off in total. That’s good scratch. The problem was that our headline, mentioned in the first line of this article, implied that all of that money was coming from Dodge, which is not accurate.

In fact, the $7500 figure, the Federal EV rebate, applies to many other cars, so to imply that somehow Dodge Charger Daytona EV buyers would be getting $8,500 off would, in many readers’ eyes, imply that this figure was in addition to the EV rebate. It is not. It’s just $1,000 of loyalty cash to current lessees on top of the same rebate everybody else is getting. What’s more, the original headline didn’t make it clear that the $1,000 applied only to Dodge lessees.

Many of you called us out in the comments, and rightly so. We all have high expectations for this site’s editorial quality, so when sloppiness like this slips through, it’s a big deal, and one that we take very seriously. Thank you for keeping us on the ball; it shows you care, and it shows you know we can do better.

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We have a typical two-pronged approach to blog publication — both the author and editor are responsible for making sure stories are accurate and that they strike the right tone. For both prongs to break down is a rarity, but one that we need to protect against. We have an ultra-talented team of smart and well-intentioned folks here at The Autopian, but we’re all fallible, and it’s clear that the more we can account for that fallibility in our article-production process, the better. Toyota does it in the Toyota Production System, so we can do it here.

Thank you all for your feedback, and if you have more in the future please email me directly at david@theautopian.com.

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Cheap Bastard
Cheap Bastard
4 hours ago

I dunno how anyone else read that headline but I read it as Dodge would throw a stack of 85 Benjamins at anyone who pulled up in a Dodge Charger to test drive a new electric Daytona whether they signed the paperwork or dropped the tester’s keys in the toilet.

Kinda made me wish I had a Charger.

(But not really).

Last edited 4 hours ago by Cheap Bastard
Luxobarge
Luxobarge
6 hours ago

I greatly respect publications that take their corrections seriously. Well done, Autopian crew.

AllCattleNoHat
AllCattleNoHat
8 hours ago

Hey, admitting you have a problem is the first step to redemption! Just kidding but good on you to recognize it and confirm that you’re not heading toward the way sites such as J… and T…. are run.
Keep it up, so far so good!

Joregon
Joregon
8 hours ago

And perhaps “try” was not the right verb either? Purchase? Buy?

Dodsworth
Dodsworth
8 hours ago

No harm, no foul. Just send me a check for $8500, I don’t have to call your mother, and we can put all this ugliness behind us.
Seriously, thanks for writing this.

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
10 hours ago

One (a couple) slightly even laster thoughts:

1. Peter said he really just misunderstood it at first, which is worlds away from “omg 8500 to switch.” I think many of us are on sort of high alert because we’ve seen a place or two that would know it was wrong and run it anyway, and we’re nervous that The Autopian might follow that dumb, angrifying path. That’s a good segue into

2. Which is that this post, editors in the comments, the accountability is phenomenal and appreciated. It’s likely not enough to defuse the now-perpetual tension we all feel to call bullshit before considering other options, because there are a lot of places trying to sell us bullshit. I’ve been watching CNN’s website run A/B tests on headlines and even change URLs to bury ledes and encourage emotional responses and clicking through rather than concise communication, and they’re not remotely the only ones. We as readers feel defensive, but that’s no excuse to go crazy about the death of the site (I don’t think so) or the quality of staff (high). I apologize if I was ungracious in calling it out, and maybe, at least on this tiny little slice of Internet, we’ll learn to be a little kinder and assume the best when we see things that seem off.

Livernois
Livernois
9 hours ago
Reply to  Mechjaz

The level of that intentional idiocy in the establishment press is off the charts. And they compound it by refusing to admit it.

This was a mistake but not the result of an agenda, and taking responsibility is the right way to go.

Lardo
Lardo
10 hours ago

Could not have been addressed better. An example for others to follow. and they won’t

Lockleaf
Lockleaf
10 hours ago

Thanks David! I said this in the response to Peter Viera as well, but I really appreciate as a reader that you and the team care enough to own mistakes and fix them. The fact that I got a response to my comment on that post, regardless of my membership status, has in fact, pushed me over the edge. I owe it to you guys to sign up and put my money where my mouth is. I’ll be taking care of that this weekend. Thanks again, to you, and the whole Autopian.

Greg
Greg
11 hours ago

I’ll be laughing my ass off when in 12 months Dodge is offering $8500 on top of the $7500.

Kaiserserserser
Kaiserserserser
11 hours ago

I mean to be fair, the OEM does not have to pass that 7,500 along to you(or at least didn’t have to last time I was shopping)

For a lot of plugin hybrids, the manufacturer pockets the credit. I know when I got my Wrangler 4xe one of the big factors was you could lease it and Stellantis would apply the credit to your lease whereas many other EV/PHEV options definitely did not pass the savings along.

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
11 hours ago

One last thought: can we get Mea Cupra tag?

Jason Torchinsky
Jason Torchinsky
10 hours ago
Reply to  Mechjaz

Check now, just made one!

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
9 hours ago

Hahaaaa! I love it. Who says owning up to things can’t still be a little fun?

Drew
Drew
6 hours ago

Now you’re just gonna start making minor mistakes so you can own up and get maximum use out of the tag.

I’m not against this, of course.

Crimedog
Crimedog
11 hours ago

Is it sad that I didn’t doubt it, though? That Stellantis would preemptively discount the unreleased vehicle?

Lotsofchops
Lotsofchops
11 hours ago
Reply to  Crimedog

It would not exactly be surprising if it was true. I don’t know if it would be a smart move or just desparate.

Last edited 11 hours ago by Lotsofchops
Blahblahblah123
Blahblahblah123
11 hours ago

I am glad to see your apology. It is good to see you understand how folks were unhappy with the article title. It was clearly misleading.
When The Autopian launched, I was excited at the way everyone seemed to be welcome to the table – the idea of a place for all car enthusiasts to gather and talk about their love of cars. But that last while I have been getting irritated and frustrated with this site and have actually gone days without bothering to visit – which is a big change.
The article titles have definitely become more click bait prone or, in some way worse, basically telling folks about how there is only one correct way to make a car. The Scout avalanche of articles was a tipping point for me and how I view this site. It has nothing to actually with the overload of articles. It was the incessant preaching that the EREV was bees knees of cars and that building an EV only vehicle is inferior in every way. The excessive use of the holy grail mantra further engrained that if you did not agree with the EREV mania you were not correct (or more to the point an idiot) and you are no longer welcome.
The idea of this being a place for all car enthusiasts is dead to me. I absolutely adore my 2012 Ford Focus EV that I have owned since new. But constantly seeing writers preach that even 220 miles in not enough range for an EV is tiring and very misguided. The Ford EV has been so ridiculously inexpensive to operate and use as my urban city car, but hey, it apparently it is a POS since it does not get 400 miles of range. Sigh.
The constant preaching that PHEV/EREVs are the superior and only car that you should consider is also tiring and simply exhausting to listen to ad nauseum. And this is from a person that loves my 2018 Hyundai Ioniq PHEV… it is a great car. But PHEV are not the solution for everyone and all applications. For folks that do only urban city driving (like I do with the Ford EV) they are actually not, IMHO, the best solution. But I sure don’t feel like any writers here with the constant PHEV/EREV is the only way articles being published.
Finally, Jason’s article mocking the choice of Hyundai making Hydrogen Fuel Cell CONCEPT car was just more salt on the wound. I suspect I am the only person here to have driven a Ford Hydrogen Full cell car on city streets. I was able to get in an event put together for dignitaries from around the world attending a new energy symposium. I was certainly not a dignitary, but I was invited by a fried working at the hydrogen fueling company hosting the event. I hopped into one of the demo cars and looked at the obviously wildly bored Ford Engineer (an honest to goodness person that actively developed the cars.) I looked at him, smiled and asked it I could hoon the crap out of the car. He laughed and said go for it. I peeled out of the lot with the wheels spinning and smoking away with a big grin on my face. The engineer perked up and realized I was a car nut and answered all sorts of technical questions while I ripped around corners. I asked stuff like why the brakes were pulsing weirdly under some braking situations and he said they were still trying to tune the regenerative breaking properly. After the drive I immediately asked to crack open the hood and look at the fuel cell in the trunk (and to hell with the dignitaries waiting to do a slow test drive… they got to wait). He truly enjoyed me asking why the hell the thing had one honking huge radiator and him getting to explain why in great technical detail! (Quick reason, the process of pushing hydrogen over the fuel cell membrane creates electricity and water but also generates a LOT of heat. So no need for a heat pump or electric heater as the fuel cell provides heat.)
But an article essentially telling me that I am wrong to think hydrogen cars are freaking cool and could be useful in some applications. Nope, apparently Hyundai was utterly stupid to make a Hydrogen Fuel cell car. Alas, the mocking of building a hydrogen car seems perfectly fine here.
I love cars. All types of cars. I have never made fun or mocked a persons car choice – I ask genuinely how they like their car and what makes it special for them. But I feel like this site is becoming an echo chamber where you are being told what you should like. EREV is the “holy grail” and the only solution. Hydrogen Fuel Cell cars are stupid. EVs that don’t get 400 miles are stupid and useless. The preaching is getting way too tiring.
I’m sorry this is so long, this is definitely a dump of my frustration with this site. It is no longer fun for me since there seems to be snarky put downs happening in way too many articles lately.

Crimedog
Crimedog
11 hours ago

Hm. I don’t see it the same way you do.

Range Anxiety is real. Reporting on it does not make it hate that something doesn’t have 400 miles when it is the market that (irrationally) demands it (or says they do in polls)

The Scout was news.
Period.
It excited the EIC, who pointed out why he liked it. It doesn’t mean the Lightning or Rivian are bad trucks, but at least half of them aren’t moving as expected, necessitating a two month shutdown.

Look, I won’t try to change your mind; I know better than to argue with strangers on the internet. Just consider this: The same way it is impossible to ‘Leave no Child Behind’, it is also impossible to have a car site for ALL enthusiasts.

I will grant you this, though. I will go and see if I see the same mockery in the fuel cell article.

Be back soon…

Rippstik
Rippstik
11 hours ago

Woah, Nelly. A lot of frustration here. I wouldn’t say that this site says that EREV’s are the only solution, but they are excited about them. Why? Most American’s aren’t comfortable with a full BEV (especially when it comes to Trucks/SUV’s). Why? Because you either need a giant wasteful battery to get meaningful range, or you will be going no where near nowhere (which is kind of part of the fun of having an offroader). David has an EREV and a love of offroaders, and the Scout is novel in that way. Looks pretty cool to me, though they look enormous.

The use of the word “Holy Grail” is probably overused, but in most cases, to someone, it is their Holy Grail. For me, it’s the Volvo V60 R-Design from 2015/2016 (only a few hundred made) with the 3.0 I-6 or the Toyota Trekker (only 1500-2500 made).

Hydrogen is an awesome technology, but they aren’t much use when there is literally no infrastructure for it. I wish everyone would go that route, but it doesn’t seem incredibly viable.

I love the Autopian, and hope that they do their best to stay out of politics or remain as neutral as possible.

Scoutdude
Scoutdude
2 hours ago

I agree David’s over zealous preaching of EREVs has become tiring.

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
2 hours ago

Username checks out

Drew
Drew
12 hours ago

I’m glad you wrote this, because my immediate reaction when I saw the original headline was to wonder where the price would land after stacking the $8500 and the tax credit. Not that I qualified for the money off or was particularly interested, but still.

Mrbrown89
Mrbrown89
12 hours ago

$1K is nothing for the CEO (Not pictured here), they could do better. Love the transparency of this site. They missed an extra zero on that loyalty cash.

Scone Muncher
Scone Muncher
12 hours ago

+1 for transparency
+1 for corrections
-1 because it’s a story about a car I can’t afford anyway and I take that personally

Rivers
Rivers
12 hours ago
Reply to  Scone Muncher

My personal apologies – I will contribute $10 for every member who buys a new Charger Daytona lol

Utherjorge
Utherjorge
12 hours ago
Reply to  Rivers

I just bought 6 of them

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
11 hours ago
Reply to  Rivers

Look at mister big shot here waving his $20 around

Icouldntfindaclevername
Icouldntfindaclevername
12 hours ago

Wow, telling the truth, now that’s a concept MANY have blown right past this year(s).
Hats off to you and the team at the Autopian!

A. Barth
A. Barth
12 hours ago

Toyota does it in the Toyota Production System, so we can do it here.

You can call it the ‘Topian Production System and send memos to one another re: putting new cover sheets on the TPS reports. 🙂 (Pop culture pop quiz!)

In seriousness, I appreciate the effort you (collectively) put into the site and how you strive to provide high quality content.

Jack Trade
Jack Trade
12 hours ago
Reply to  A. Barth

He has people skills!!

AJ
AJ
10 hours ago
Reply to  A. Barth

Ah. Yeah… It’s just we’re putting new coversheets on all the clickbait-y headlines. So, if you could go ahead and try to remember to attach those coversheets or just avoid clickbait headlines from now on, that’d be great. All right!
Also, from here on out I’ll just be the new guy in charge at NCIS… ????

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
8 hours ago
Reply to  AJ

DT. We will still read, and would probably read even more without the damned click bait shit. Really.

Give it a try please.

Lizardman in a human suit
Lizardman in a human suit
13 hours ago

It takes a big person to admit you are wrong. It also is nice when a boss takes responsibility for mistakes made, instead of throwing employees under the bus. Too many bosses try to weasel out of doing their jobs, which is monitoring employees. People make mistakes. A good boss helps them rectify mistakes.

V10omous
V10omous
13 hours ago

Trying to imagine a post like this on other sites I’ve frequented in the past, and coming up short. Thank you for that.

As always, my criticism is constructive, unless it’s of jellybean F150 takes.

Last edited 13 hours ago by V10omous
Matt Hardigree
Matt Hardigree
12 hours ago
Reply to  V10omous

I just saw an extended-cab, two-door jellybean Harley edition F-150 and thought “Yeah, that’s the good stuff.”

Adrian Clarke
Adrian Clarke
12 hours ago
Reply to  Matt Hardigree

Were you drunk?

V10omous
V10omous
12 hours ago
Reply to  Matt Hardigree

I’m sure the owner parks it next to his 10K mile C5 (convertible, auto, naturally) in his meticulous garage.

Peak Boomer energy.

Peter Vieira
Peter Vieira
13 hours ago

TBH, this bit

We have an ultra-talented team of smart and well-intentioned folks here at The Autopian”

Should read

“We have an ultra-talented team of smart and well-intentioned folks at The Autopian, and Peter also works here.”

Amberturnsignalsarebetter
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
13 hours ago
Reply to  Peter Vieira

I always knew you were the nefarious, ill-intentioned one.

Adrian Clarke
Adrian Clarke
12 hours ago

There’s two of us! Two!

A. Barth
A. Barth
12 hours ago
Reply to  Peter Vieira

You beat me to it!! 😛

Rivers
Rivers
12 hours ago
Reply to  Peter Vieira

CORRECTION INCOMING – “We have an ultra-talented team of smart and well-intentioned folks at The Autopian, and Peter and Rivers also work here.”

A. Barth
A. Barth
8 hours ago
Reply to  David Tracy

They DON’T work there?!? 😮

Double Wide Harvey Park
Double Wide Harvey Park
2 hours ago
Reply to  A. Barth

Not anymore!

Peter Vieira
Peter Vieira
11 hours ago
Reply to  Rivers

Noooooo

JurassicComanche25
JurassicComanche25
13 hours ago

Normally I would say its okay, at least it proves that you are all human here. But then, AI has been making stuff up now. So are we human? What are we? How do I work this? Where is that large automobile? This is not my beautiful house. This is not my beautiful wife.

Matt Hardigree
Matt Hardigree
13 hours ago

Let the water hold you down, sir.

Peter Andruskiewicz
Peter Andruskiewicz
12 hours ago
Reply to  David Tracy

If it is Denser, then the water really will hold you down

Mechjaz
Mechjaz
11 hours ago
Reply to  David Tracy

Is it not also possible we’re Denso?

Amberturnsignalsarebetter
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
13 hours ago

I have to admit, I saw a reference to the Hawk Tuah girl in yesterday’s Halloween article yesterday and paused for a moment to check who it was written by. If the byline was David Tracy, I would have known it was AI generated.

Col Lingus
Col Lingus
8 hours ago

Where’s the bathroom at? Beavis

IRegertNothing, Esq.
IRegertNothing, Esq.
13 hours ago

I appreciate the transparency. Screwups are going to happen, so how you respond is what defines your character.

AlterId
AlterId
13 hours ago

I noticed that yesterday but didn’t bring it up because I didn’t want to interrupt what I assumed was a(nother) fabulous expense account lunch that you made some staffer drive you to because the wine was too good to just have one glass, which would also explain how the error got through.

AlterId
AlterId
13 hours ago
Reply to  David Tracy

It’s only 12:15.

Amberturnsignalsarebetter
Amberturnsignalsarebetter
13 hours ago
Reply to  AlterId

You’re right. That’s an expense account brunch, not lunch.

Last edited 13 hours ago by Amberturnsignalsarebetter
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