The Dodge Charger and Challenger we know and love will be leaving production in 2023, but I don’t think we should be sad. The cars have laid rubber all across the U.S. for over 15 years, and if we’re lucky, they’ll be replaced by something like this: The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept, a beautiful all-electric muscle car that “offers a glimpse at the brand’s electric future through a vehicle that drives like a Dodge, looks like a Dodge and sounds like Dodge.” The thing offers some seriously unconventional features for an EV. Here’s what we know so far.
Dodge is in a bit of a pickle. The brand has built its name, in part, on raucously loud, powerful internal combustion engines, and now has to pivot to electric propulsion like the rest of the industry. Many of the brand’s customers are EV skeptics, believing that the only proper engine for a motor car is the V8. I don’t fault them for this; V8s are great. (And, to be fair, many people outside of Dodge’s customer base are are EV skeptics). But getting those skeptics onboard with Dodge’s new EV direction is going to be tricky, and it seems Dodge’s strategy is to acknowledge those customers’ skepticism, commiserate a bit, and then use that commiseration to build trust that gets customers to buy into electrification. At least, that’s what the strategy looks like to me based on this quote from Dodge’s CEO Tim Kuniskis, who showed off the new Daytona concept at the company’s annual drag race-filled event on Detroit’s fabled Woodward Avenue:
“We didn’t ask for the rules to change. We didn’t want them to change, but they did. And we can try to outrun them, but that would be a nine second pass straight into extinction. Or we can do what we did: read their rules. Study their rules. Find their gray areas, then unleash the Banshee. Trust me, this is not the EV they want you to have. This is the way Dodge does EVs.
Dodge also seems to be trying to keep some of the elements that fans of ICEs like, such as engine noise. In fact, the Daytona SRT Concept comes with an “exhaust” system as loud as that of the Hellcat Charger, which is kind of hilarious. Dodge calls it the “Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust,” referencing the Fratzog Dodge logo. From Dodge’s press release:
While most BEVs embrace their virtually silent electric motors, that just wouldn’t do for Dodge. The Charger Daytona SRT Concept voices a 126 dB roar that equals the SRT Hellcat, generated through a new, patent-pending Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system. Yes, Dodge added an exhaust to an electric vehicle.
The industry-first Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust pushes its one-of-a-kind performance sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle. The Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust represents the next generation of tactile, bone-shaking, muscle attitude, creating a visceral “Dark Matter” sound profile experience in concert with the eRupt transmission.
So Dodge has built some sort of acoustic chamber that takes the electric motor’s natural sound and massages it in just the right way before amplifying it, and presumably delivering it through speakers. Here, listen to the new Dodge Charger Dayton SRT Concept “rev” its two (presumably) electric motors that drive all four wheels:
Not only does the new concept come with an exhaust, there’s also a multi-speed transmission, which is unusual for an EV. Electric motors’ ability to produce good torque across a huge range of revs means most automakers simply bolt those motors up to a ~10:1 gear reduction, and offer no shifting at all (there are some exceptions, like the Porsche Taycan). So this is quite interesting:
Unlike typical BEVs, the Dodge brand’s eRupt multi-speed transmission with electro-mechanical shifting delivers distinctive shift points, throwing shoulders into seatbacks in true Dodge style. The Charger Daytona SRT Concept also boasts a PowerShot push-to-pass feature. Activated by the push of a button on the steering wheel, PowerShot delivers an adrenaline jolt of increased horsepower for a quick burst of acceleration.
I don’t have many more details on this; I’m curious if this is a literal transmission as we know it or a simulated one. The way that’s written makes me think this is literally a transmission with multiple gear ratios. Dodge even says that the “shifter” for this transmission even looks more conventional. I’m excited to dig into the tech as soon as I have the opportunity.
Dodge isn’t giving too many details about performance right now. The automaker says that the Daytona is riding on a 800V Banshee propulsion system. It has standard all-wheel-drive and Dodge says that it’s faster than a Hellcat in “all key performance measures.” So, we’ll have to wait to see what this can really do.
In the meantime, let’s continue to check out what Dodge has rolled out for us to see.
You can’t easily see it in the press images thus far, but Dodge has done some neat trickery with the front end. It maintains the squared-off muscle car look while also getting better aerodynamics. Dodge did it by turning what would normally be a gaping grille into a sort of wing. Dodge calls it the R-Wing.
The R-Wing functions as an homage to the original Charger Daytona design. And more than that, Dodge says that it helps with giving this new Daytona better aerodynamics and downforce. The Fratzog logo stands proud on the Daytona SRT Concept, and it’s a welcome departure from the twin stripes that we’ve been seeing for so long. That logo was previously used on Dodge muscle cars from 1962 through 1976. Dodge says that it was previously used without context, but now the Fratzog will represent both the brand’s electric future and its commitment to performance.
The interior of the concept keeps the vehicle’s functions driver-centric.
Look towards the center stack and you’ll see another nod to the past: a pistol-grip shifter. As expected with today’s vehicles, there are huge screens with a 16-inch curved instrument cluster, a 12.3-inch infotainment screen, and an 8-by-3-inch HUD. The interior also sports a glass roof and instead of a typical trunk lid, there’s a liftback.
Some of this may sound silly to you, but I actually like Dodge’s approach. I don’t think ignoring ICE enthusiasts and simply saying “We’re building EVs now, and they’re going to be silent and not offer any shifting” is the right move. There are lots of EV skeptics out there; meeting them where they are, and showing the way to EV salvation step-by-step, while giving them some of the joys that many electric vehicles today don’t offer (like sound and shift points) is an okay strategy to win V8-lovers’ hearts.
I’m one of those skeptics, I guess. Please, just let the Charger nameplate die in peace.
Well, at least it’s not a CUV.
A bit less of a spit in the face of a legendary nameplate than the abomination called the Mustang Mach-E.
My favorite cars of all time will likely forever remain the Cadillacs built in 1959. A close second would be the Chrysler products produced around the same time. Dodge’s new electrified exhaust and pistol-popgun transmission appear to be just about as useful as the tailfins on my old favorites and that brings a smile to my face, even if it’s not my thing.
My dad is a MOPAR-OR-NOCAR guy, and something like this could be what brings him kicking and screaming over to an electric vehicle. It would be fun to see – after all, this is a guy who obsesses over gasoline cost, and then told me it was going to cost way more in electricity to charge my VOLT than the equivalent gasoline cost in a normal car and that I should’ve bought a new Dodge Dart instead (this was after paying $11,500 for a 4-year old 2012 VOLT with 40K on the clock).
Dodge, as usual, is pure cringe.
while the real answer to ICE pollution has never been EVs, it is reducing the average persons need for a car through effective mass transit and infrastructure, I still think this is a nice idea, we will see how they execute the production version. I have been saying for a long time that the way to get more enthusiasts into EVs is to hand them over to video game designers. Give me a clutch pedal, and a shifter. and make some noises happen that make me feel like the thing is alive. Honestly for a daily driver, I don’t care if the shifter is literally straight out of an arcade machine and not physically connected to anything. just don’t try to make me drive around in a roomba. Do I love the sound? meh, but it sounds way cooler than a musk mobile.
now, lets all just hope Porsche figures out that whole Carbon Neutral gasoline replacement stuff.
This maybe the first EV that I look at in a long while and think, that looks fun to drive. Plenty of EVs you see and think of that’s clever or that does the job well, not many that make you think that they would make your commute seem too short. Well done Dodge, I gotta give you credit where its due and this thing is a far more worthy follow on to the Challenger/Charger lines than the Mach-E to the Mustang line.
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Lots of super cool things about this. It is clear Dodge knows it’s audience – style, power and sound were clearly top priorities and for the most part they seemed to have named it, and then some. For instance the fact that it is a hatchback is an awesome and unexpected feature. From a few angles it looks a little too thick which makes the wheels look weirdly small, but for the most part, the styling is great.
Do want. As-is, hold the glass roof. Thumb’s up!
To all those haters out of the fake exhaust sounds:
Since the beginning of time cars have been designed to fake it.
1910’s: fake-looking basic horse carriages
1930’s: fake-looking fancy/swoopy carriages
1950’s: fake-looking jet airplanes
1970’s: fake-looking and fake-riding yachts
1980’s: fake-looking “mag” wheels
1990’s: fake-looking hood scoops, spoilers and rear wings
2000’s: fake-looking Formula 1 aerodynamic vents, fake-looking front grilles
2010’s: fake-sounding combustion engine noises, fake-looking exhaust tips
2020’s fake-sounding electric motor noises
“Fake it ’till you make it” is NOT a new concept.
My car got wrecked recently and I had a Challenger rental for 4 days. My question with this one is, can you see anything while you’re driving? I couldn’t see anything because of the chunky c-pillars and tiny windows.
I don’t mind the fake exhaust noise, it’s something people who buy these cars would want. I think they should be able to download classic engine sounds and use those if they want.
Haven’t driven a Challenger, but I’ve ridden in one and driven multiple current gen Camaros. The lack of visibility is pretty bad. You get used to it to an extent (I had a Camaro SS as a rental for 10 days earlier this year) but the blind spots the design creates never go away. The higher spec Camaros at least have a camera in the rear view mirror you can turn on, which helps….but there are certain areas you’ll just flat out never see in them, unfortunately.
I’d love one as a weekend/track car, but I think dailying one would be a nightmare unless you live in the country or way out in the burbs.
My first issue with this is the body. It is called the Charger Daytona. Remember the original Challenger Daytona from more than 50 years ago? THAT had a drag coefficient of 0.28, which at the time, was among the lowest value for production cars, and allowed it the edge it needed to hit 200 mph. This thing doesn’t retain the legacy of form over function streamlining. With EVs, range is extremely important. This thing SHOULD be a streamliner with a low drag coefficient, in the 0.1X range. That way, you not only make significant increases to its range without adding cost or mass, but with the amount of power it is likely to have, you can also give it a top speed comparable to offerings like the Bugatti Chiron and Koenigsegg Agera RS, and because of the wonders of mass production, do so at a much lower cost. People buy cars like this to haul ass, and designing it with a retrograde body style that doesn’t maximize potential performance defeats that purpose(I have the same complaint about many modern supercars, built to look “exotic” to further part rich fools with their money). We could have had streamlined V8 Hellcat Chargers getting good highway fuel economy(even by 4-cylinder Hyundai/Kia standards) had this been done years ago, as well. Stop trying to sell the sizzle, and give us the steak. Once the operator who buys the car as an ass-hauling machine sees the advantage, there’s no going back.
And the fake exhaust note? That should be optional, and not come standard. It’s as non-functional and useless as the new Supra’s fake vents. It is undoubtedly adding cost, and perhaps weight.
That said, I’m all for electric muscle. I was saying “bring it on” in the early 2000s, when John Wayland’s fetish object of a Datsun 1200 EV conversion named “White Zombie” was setting records, melting tires, and killing Vipers, Corvettes, and hotrodded Stangs/Camaros at the strip. It was a vulgar, perverted thing and the world was all the more wonderful because of it. Check it out at plasmaboyracing(dot)com
Man that marketing copy is yikes, but I guess they know their audience. “Dark Matter,” “Fratzonic,” “eRupt,” “PowerShot,” I’d be humiliated having to present this shit with a straight face– or having to tell somebody that’s what was going on in the car I was driving. “Trust me, this is not the EV they want you to have.” Haha christ. This is some 1997 energy drink shit. I assume they had Kuniskis in a backwards ball cap jumping over the car on a snowboard too, surprised it wasn’t mentioned in the article.
Pretty car, though.
Dear every other car company. Your electric cars are ugly.
Looks really cool, but does nothing to assuage my skepticism, which I’ll admit to being of a niche variety. I’m all about an electric car that is quieter, simpler, and more environmentally friendly than an ICE. I’d love to see some real increases in utility and new body styles developed from the flexibility that these platforms provide. What I don’t want, though, is a car that can be bricked or altered by an OTA update. I don’t want one that I can get locked out of or into (without going through an annoying process) if the battery dies. I don’t want touch screens, cameras and sensors on every surface. I don’t want to lose the ability to work on it myself or take it to an independent mechanic if it has a problem. I recognize that these are curmudgeonly issues with all modern cars and that I am a (spiritually) old man yelling at clouds, but in their attempt to capture the soul of muscle cars here, Dodge has ditched some of the real advantages of EVs and doubled down on their problems.
Give me the lovechild of a (pre-fleet flip) Bollinger and a Jay Leno’s Baker for a reasonable price.
How do you “rev” an electric car that doesn’t have a way to “decouple” the motors from the axles? It it an entirely different pedal than the one that makes the car “go”?
They said the concept has a transmission with actual gears, maybe there is a way to shift said transmission into neutral, so likely the motors are NOT connected directly to the axles.
I just don’t think they would add all of that extra expense, weight, complexity, failure points, etc. just so it can free rev. I’m guessing the “loud pedal” is different than the “go pedal”. Whether it’s a pedal or a button or a switch or whatever. I think the sound and the “go pedal” are only related when you’re actually driving (and maybe only when driving it at full tilt).
Ageism, politics, California and bashing Harleys. This is starting to sound a lot like that other site.
Thin-skinned right-wingers* making up someone to be mad about. This is starting to look like anywhere on the internet.
*I have yet to see anyone besides a right-winger bitching about “politics” here.
Well, I’m certainly not that. Just a person who wishes that so many articles comment sections didn’t go down the same rabbit hole. I really like the writers here. And you’re right, it is happening all over the internet. It sucks.
You can always go start your own reality right wing car site. Free market baby!
I hear TTAC is nice this time of year. Bring extra tinfoil though, I hear there’s a shortage.
Fuck Harleys. For years they have gotten away with obnoxiously loud exhausts while the rest of us get tickets for our stock exhausts. They should not be getting a free pass yet they do. So if you want to complain, complain about that. Same shit with trucks.
This looks really badass. That is a very clever front end. I wonder if you can see through the gap from the driver seat. Fake engine sounds are the first thing I would disable though.
I feel like the more OEM’s make electric cars more like normal cars, people may be more likely to buy them….and the site is still slow as shit.
Love the look, hate the idea of fake sounds. But if that’s what their consumers want, then it’s smart.
So The Dilemma was actually a documentary? Does this mean Queen Latifah really is a Dodge executive?
I applaud the attempt, but I can’t get over the fact that the exact premise of the movie has been made a reality by the same company used in the movie and on the very same car, even.
Trying to find something positivd to say, um, like that they brought back the Fratzog, not really sure why that wasnt revived way back when Ram was spun off, but better late than never, I guess
I think the look is very cool, and I love the wheels and the silhouette, and the potential performance. HOWEVER, the marketing is pure cringe and boomer-pandering. I understand that they’re the majority of the people with the money to buy things like this, but still. It’s got a definite, unappealing, ‘MURICA! Roll Coal! Look how manly I am! Fuel your car with lib’rul tears! subtext that really does not make me want to engage with Dodge on this.
no worse than a green 1970 GTO I suppose.
I had no idea The Dilemma was actually a documentary. I guess this means Queen Latifah really does work at Dodge?
I applaud the attempt, but can’t help but laugh at the hilarity of the stupid idea from the movie actually being put into action by the same company and vehicle they used in the movie itself.
I’m down for all of it except the exterior noise generator, it’s sophomoric and screams of somebody dying for attention like a small child.
it is also likely to be an expense and battery drain. I would save the weight and draw in this case, but I understand the reasoning. much of the charm of the current dodge V8 cars is the visceral sound and feel. as many testers have said, this is a completely over the top car, but it is also massively grin inducing and that is what is selling HellCats all the way down to 3.6 AWD CHargers.
“Tastes great, less filling.” kind of like the old Miller Lite ad in the late 1970s. “Looks great, less thrilling,” for now? If the concept actually arrives as visually presented, thumbs up. If it has TOYOTA level of build and reliability, also a plus. But at the probable asking/selling price I am not sure that being a “beta” tester is my thing. Time will tell.
If Dodge was planning to make a statement, they sure did. If this be the future, bring it the hell on!
I love the look, and suspect it will turn into a sedan with minimal change. I doubt the hatchback will stay though. Just like I doubt they’ll be able to give you everything in there for a similar MSRP to today. It is a concept, so many things will fall by the wayside.
In the end, the bottom line is price. If they can stay close to what a current Charger (heh, heh) goes for across the line, they have a winner.
I have to add a thought on the noisemaker: there is a business opportunity here. Imagine programming in a different sound, like one can with a ringtone. It could be the sound of a 69 Charger, a mid-80s Daytona Turbo (sure to be a small seller!) or a prolonged fart, but there’s a chance that you could sell a bunch of electronic enhancements.
And a new name for the front spoiler? The Pedestrian Grater.