Dodge Charger Daytona
Muscle · Dodge
Dodge Charger Daytona: The Electric Muscle Car Nobody Agreed On
The Dodge Charger Daytona is an electric muscle car that replaced the Hemi-powered Charger, and it became one of the most argued-about cars of its era before Dodge added a gas engine back to the lineup.
Dodge ended the Hemi V8 Charger and Challenger after 2023 and replaced them in 2024 with the Charger Daytona, built on Stellantis'' STLA Large platform. It arrived as a two-door with a four-door following, both riding on a roughly 100 kWh pack with all-wheel drive as standard.
The output was never the problem. The launch R/T made about 496 horsepower and the Scat Pack about 670, which comfortably beat the V8 cars they replaced. The controversy was everything else. Dodge fitted a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, a speaker system that generates an engine-like sound, which enthusiasts either accepted as showmanship or rejected outright. Sales came in well below expectations.
The design at least earned respect. The R-Wing, a pass-through opening at the nose, is a functional aerodynamic device and a nod to the winged 1969 Charger Daytona that gave the car its name. Dodge later broadened the lineup with a twin-turbo straight-six option, an implicit acknowledgment that going all-electric all at once had been a step too far for the audience.
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