Following the death of the Charger and Challenger, Dodge has been transformed into a crossover-only brand. That’s a startling development, but it won’t be the case for much longer. According to Automotive News, the highly anticipated Charger Daytona will be unveiled on March 5. The news was apparently revealed by Dodge’s Matt McAlear at the J.D. Power Auto Summit.
The senior vice president of sales and
marketing for Dodge/SRT reportedly described the car as the “next generation of
muscle.” He went on to say the company is trying to “set a new bar” and noted
the production model will closely echo the concept that was introduced in 2022.
That isn’t much of a surprise as teaser photos have revealed a familiar looking
muscle car. However, the production model sports a handful of changes including
modified bumpers, larger mirrors, and revised lighting units. The road-going
model also has new door handles, a thicker B-pillar, and a more angular license
plate recess.
Speaking at the concept’s unveiling, Dodge
CEO Tim Kuniskis said the production EV would be launched with three different
power levels that go all the way up to the 800V Banshee propulsion system. The
latter promises to be “faster than a Hellcat in all key performance measures.”
The company also noted the “standard all-wheel drive system is key to pushing
beyond Hellcat performance, while also improving all-weather capability.”
At the time, Kuniskis noted Dodge was in
the process of developing multiple power levels that would be offered through
Direct Connection. As a result, the road-going model is slated to have a total
of nine different outputs. While the concept was electric-only, reports have
suggested the production model could be offered with a twin-turbo 3.0-liter
Hurricane inline-six. It has outputs of 420 hp and 540 hp in the 2025 Ram 1500.
Dodge is staying tight-lipped, but the
Charger Daytona will ride on the EV-focused STLA Large platform. However,
Stellantis has already confirmed the architecture “supports hybrid and internal
combustion propulsion systems without compromising key vehicle capabilities.”
