Dodge eyes boost from Charger Daytona
EV muscle car aims to match high-horsepower reputation
No one is likely to mistake the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona for a melted jelly bean.
That’s by design, according to the folks at Dodge, dismissing the description of many current electric vehicle offerings in the market already, during a recent background event.
No, the new electric muscle car from the Stellantis brand that lives on its high-horsepower reputation looks the part that it’s supposed to play — sleek, assertive and ready to hit the track.
Dodge will roll out two versions of its first battery electric vehicle models later this year, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T promising up to 496 horsepower and a Daytona Scat Pack at up to 670 HP (pushing a “Power Shot” button on the steering wheel delivers 40 of the promised HP for 15 seconds as an added boost). Both cars were unveiled Tuesday at dodge.com.
These two-door coupe models, which seat five, will make room for four-door electric versions as well as gas-powered two- and four-door variants, equipped with a new Hurricane inline-six engine, in 2025. A high-performance Banshee EV version is also on the horizon, but we’re told not to expect a plug-in hybrid or range extender any time soon.
Here are a few key specs (R/T, then Scat Pack):
Peak torque: 404, 627 foot-pound
0-60 time: 4.7, 3.3 seconds Quarter-mile: 13.1, 11.5 seconds
Top speed: 137, 134 mph
Curb weight (both): 5,838 pounds Range: 317, 260 miles
Regarding range, Dodge officials downplayed the significance for Charger fans, saying that it won’t be the focus for buyers of these EVs, who will be more concerned with performance.
For anyone who has been following Dodge announcements, if the new vehicles don’t appear to be much of a departure from the concept unveiled in 2022, that’s because they’re not. Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis said the concept was the production version hiding in plain sight.
Kuniskis described a schizophrenic period as the automaker continued selling its gas-powered vehicles while developing its EVs for the future.
These new Chargers, representing the first vehicles to debut the new STLA Large vehicle platform, are a departure, however, from the muscle cars they replace, the previous gas-powered Chargers and Challengers that pushed the needle with Hellcat engines.
No more V8s is the word from Dodge, although Kuniskis and Co. assert that performance fans will get plenty of bang from the new offerings.
They’ll be produced at Windsor Assembly Plant, rather than in Brampton, Ontario. Initially, the batteries will come from South Korea, but the plan is to shift battery module production to the United States in 2025.
The new Charger is one of eight battery-electric vehicles Stellantis, which also owns Jeep, Ram, Chrysler and Fiat, plans to introduce in the United States this year.
As with the concept, a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust will provide the muscle car soundtrack with “Hellcat levels of sound intensity,” along with a stealth mode, according to the company. Dodge also promises multiple drive and race modes, including Donut and Drift, 20-inch wheels and the “largest brake package ever offered on a Dodge.”
There’s an optional full-length glass roof, a front R-Wing to provide an aerodynamic feature on the front, and the inside includes items like a pistol-grip shifter, electronic buttons for opening the doors, with manual levers hidden nearby, paddle shifters to adjust regenerative braking levels and lighting (64 different colors) that reacts to pressing the ignition button and other activities.
What appears to be a made-for-social media-sharing development
is the available driver experience recorder, a first for Dodge, that’s designed to provide a review option for a day at the track. It’ll also record the driver’s voice along with “synchronized logging of audio, video and vehicle data” along with a forward-facing camera.
Safety and other features, along with the Uconnect 5 infotainment system, will sound fairly familiar, but cargo space marks a significant departure for anyone who has driven the current crop of Dodge cars. The rear seats can fold flat, offering 133% more cargo volume (38.5 cubic feet) than the outgoing Charger and the frunk provides an extra 11⁄2 feet of space, according to the news release.
There’s no word yet on pricing.