The Electric Muscle Car Era Arrives With Dodge’s New Charger Daytona SRT Concept
Dodge just offered up a sneak peek at the future of “electrified muscle.”
The Detroit auto giant showed off a battery-powered concept called the Charger Daytona SRT on Wednesday. The vehicle isn’t set to go into production, but it’s also our best preview yet of what the company’s first all-electric muscle car will look like when it arrives in 2024.
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The automaker is pulling the plug on the internal-combustion engine Charger and Challenger next year, but it hasn’t given up on the muscle car yet. Instead it’s going to reimagine it as a battery-powered bruiser. Some enthusiasts will have trouble wrapping their heads around the idea of a muscle car that isn’t built around a gas-guzzling, emission-generating powertrain, but Dodge sure seems confident that it knows what it’s doing.
We can easily see the Charger Daytona SRT converting some electric skeptics. While Dodge didn’t share powertrain details or specs, it did reveal the coupé will be built upon an 800-volt electronic architecture called Banshee. That’s double the voltage of other performance EVs, according to Car and Driver. The automaker also said the powertrain would be able to outperform its famed SRT Hellcat internal-combustion V-8. That’s a bold claim since the current top-of-the-line Charger SRT Hellcat pumps out over 800 hp and is able to launch from zero to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. It’ll also have all-wheel-drive, which some rear-wheel-drive purists will grumble about, but will help it rocket off the line.
Brute strength and lightening quick acceleration aren’t the only things the Charger Daytona SRT has in common with traditional muscle cars. The powertrain will be linked to a multi-speed transmission. That’s unusual for an EV, but not unheard of. The Porsche Taycan, one of the best performances EVs on the market, has a two-speed automatic transmission. Dodge also mentioned a “Power Shot” button that will give the car a temporary jolt of extra power. The most unexpected feature, though, is its Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system. It’s completely unnecessary, as the powertrain doesn’t emit any emissions, but it will amplify the noise coming from the motors into a 126-decibel roar.
Dodge
While it’s easy for these elements to steal the headlines, the concept’s design can’t be ignored either. The Charger Daytona SRT is a true beauty. It features a smooth, shapely profile reminiscent of the original Charger from the late 1960s. Its look isn’t overly nostalgic, though. A bold light package and a unique front opening called the “R-Wing” that increases aerodynamic performance and downforce are proof it’s not stuck in the past. Renderings of the interior, meanwhile, show a very sleek and modern setup, with a prominent wide-screen infotainment system positioned in the center of the dashboard. The rear seats fold down to increase cargo room when they’re not needed, too, which is an oddly practical feature for a muscle car.
So, will the Charger Daytona SRT become one of the rare concepts that makes the jump to production vehicle? Only time will tell, but we wouldn’t be surprised to see some elements—like its design, but also hopefully the multi-speed transmission—make the final cut. Only two more years until we know for sure.
Click here to see all of the photos of the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept.
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