15 January 2024
Dodge revealed the new performance EV on its social media accounts
Prototype carries over many of original concept’s features; order book to open later this year
Dodge has revealed a pre-production version of the Charger Daytona SRT concept as its first performance EV.
Dubbed “the future of electrified muscle”, the American brand says it will be available “late 2024” and be positioned as a rival to the electric Chevrolet Camaro, due in 2026.
It was shown on the brand’s social media accounts sporting a design very similar to the concept first shown in August 2022.
This means it retains carbonfibre intakes and an illuminated front grille, a bonnet-width front light bar, and Dodge’s Fratzog logo, which returns for the first time since 1976 to represent the firm’s electric future.
It also sports brand new alloy designs and door handles that sit flush with the bodywork, as on the concept.
All you need to know about the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept
Dodge says the concept features a new propulsion system called Banshee, which raises the “pinnacle of performance” compared with its other performance lines of Hemi, Hellcat and Redeye.
Its 800V powertrain has been partnered with four-wheel drive, meaning the concept is claimed to be faster than the Hellcat in “all key performance measures”.
While no in-depth power or performance details have been revealed, Dodge says the concept is inspired by the Charger Daytona, which, in 1970, was the first Nascar competitor to break 200mph.
The concept also incorporates several new technologies not seen on conventional EVs. It features a multi-speed transmission with electro-mechanical shifting, as well as a ‘Powershot’ button, which adds a quick burst of acceleration.
Dodge claims the car is equipped with a special “Fratzonic chambered exhaust” system, which emits a 126dB noise – as loud as a 787bhp V8-powered Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat.
The system consists of an amplifier and tuning chamber that are both positioned at the rear of the car, Dodge says. Watch the video below to see just how loud the Charger SRT Daytona SRT concept really is.
Think all EVs are silent? The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT concept has what the firm calls a “fratzonic chambered exhaust”, which makes a sound as loud as the V8-powered Hellcat! pic.twitter.com/5DfaIMLQXz
— Autocar (@autocar) August 18, 2022
The Charger Daytona SRT’s design resembles the standard Charger’s but the firm says aerodynamics have been improved with a bespoke R-Wing and performance bonnet.
Inside the car, the Charger Daytona SRT is fitted with a 12.3in screen and a 16in curved instrument cluster. There’s also an 8.3in head-up display and ultraviolet design features and ambient lighting.
The model’s lightweight seats also feature the Fratzog logo and blue plasma and silver stitching.
The firm claims the car is as practical as it is fast, with flat-folding rear seats and more storage space than in any previous Dodge muscle car.
Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said: “The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it. Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the BEV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations and performance features that embody the electrified muscle of tomorrow.
“The Charger Daytona SRT Concept can do more than run the car show circuit: it can run a blazing quarter mile. And when it comes to product cycles, it outruns Darwin. Charger Daytona does more than define where Dodge is headed: it will redefine American muscle in the process.”
Additional reporting by Jonathan Bryce