The first of Dodge’s planned electric vehicles has been revealed.
Key details
Dodge has revealed the concept for an electric muscle car, the Charger Daytona SRT, on Wednesday. The concept closely resembles the model Dodge plans to put into production in 2024, reports Bloomberg.
Dodge parent company Stellantis describes the concept as the “future of electrified muscle” and that it “drives like a Dodge, looks like a Dodge, and feels like Dodge—and just happens to be a battery-electric vehicle.”
The concept features a massive 800-volt Banshee propulsion system, a multi-speed transmission with an electro-mechanical shifting experience, and an aerodynamic frame that will push its performance against the best muscle cars on the market. It is also being designed with customization in mind to appeal to drag racing enthusiasts.
Why it’s important
Dodge announced on Tuesday that it will be discontinuing two of its most popular cars—the Dodge Challenger and Dodge Charger—by December 2023 as the company shifts focus to electric vehicles. “The days of an iron block supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 are numbered,” says Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis.
As we reported yesterday, the announcement represents a symbolic moment for the automotive industry, that iconic American brands are shifting focus away from internal combustion engines and toward electric vehicles. It represents a commitment from one of America’s most significant carmakers that the change to electric vehicles is real.
The Charger Daytona is the first stop in Dodge’s shifting over to all-electric vehicles, following in the steps of the Biden Administration which is pushing to phase out 100% of gas-powered cars by 2035. Stellantis already announced a $2.8 billion overhaul of two Canadian car plants in May, which will shift them towards electric vehicle production.
Notable quote
“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept muscles aside the boring BEV paradigm and replaces it with an electrified vehicle unlike any on the road today…. The concept’s modern exterior styling incorporates subtle Dodge heritage cues while also exceeding aerodynamic targets,” said a press release from Stellantis.
