Dodge wants to make sure you understand the new electric Charger isn't like other EVs. The newly revamped fastback will save the world from "soulless, self-driving sleep pods everyone else keeps polluting the streets with," according to the company in a recent social media campaign.
Dodge proclaims the Charger Daytona—with 670 combined horsepower from a dual-motor powertrain—is the world's most powerful muscle car. Somehow, it seems Dodge isn't being sarcastic about any of this.
There are certainly many dual-motor EVs making more than 670 ponies. Whether those vehicles meet the definition of a muscle car, that's a debate we'll leave to you fine readers in the comments below. That said, we get what Dodge is doing here. At the Charger Daytona debut earlier this year, former Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis was keen to point out the Charger EV's mission wasn't to offer an environmentally friendly performance vehicle. With the optional Scat Pack (required to reach the aforementioned 670 hp), range is only 260 miles. And then there's the sound, which was revised numerous times before settling on a classic V-8 rumble.
Will buyers buy into the Charger Daytona as an electric muscle car saving us all from "soulless" EVs? If social media comments on any Charger Daytona post are an indication, it'll be a tough sell. And we suspect Dodge feels the same way, because the combustion-powered Charger Sixpack—originally slated to go on sale in late 2025—has allegedly been fast-tracked to arrive in early summer. But it's unclear how that model will be received since the Hemi V-8 is officially dead. It will use the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter inline-six, making either 420 or 550 hp.
In the meantime, Dodge is running through the last of its outgoing Charger models. Sales, predictably, are way down as the transition takes place, made worse by the electric Charger Daytona not being available as we enter the final month of 2024. It was originally scheduled to go on sale last summer.
Saving the world, it seems, will be a project for next year.
Source: Dodge
