More than a year after Dodge unveiled the Charger Daytona SRT Concept, the automaker gives us a glimpse at an evolved pre-production model.
It almost feels like Dodge has walked us through the grieving process as the Charger and Challenger we know were put out to pasture. Top brass let us know the day was coming, which led to denial and anger; they built a special run of Last Call models for a proper sendoff, which was part of the bargaining stage; and in December, production of the V8-powered cars finally concluded after well over a decade, bringing on depression. Now it’s time to see if showing off the new, electric, two-door Charger Daytona ushers in acceptance.
Judging by the comments under Dodge’s announcement on Instagram, my guess is we still have a ways to go before exiting the depression phase. Folks seem generally excited that there will finally be a two-door Charger again, but the disdain for electric powertrains outweighs everything else, at least right now. Still, there’s something to be said about this freshly tweaked design that Dodge dropped on us out of nowhere.
A lot looks to be shared with the Charger Daytona SRT Concept we saw in 2022, like the sharply slanted hood and narrow grille opening. The head-on appearance Is different with the LED headlights filling in the front; you didn’t expect the pass-through aero grille to stay, did you? Also, the roofline appears to be a little taller, but that could be because the beltline on the newly teased car isn’t as sharply creased as what we saw on the concept.
Of course, any car is bound to look different than the design exercises that came before once you add reflectors on the fenders, normal wheels, and so on. While Dodge makes clear that this is still a pre-production model, it looks a whole lot closer to a realistic finished project. Surely the ones that roll off the assembly line will be all one color.
Dodge
This car is almost certainly the electric version because it has “DAYTONA” lettering out back and the revived Fratzog logo up front. Both forms of branding have been closely associated with the Charger’s foray into battery power. And even though traditionalists malign the switch, a source tells us the top performance model will pack more than 880 horsepower.
It’s anyone’s guess when the new muscle car will debut in full, especially since Dodge’s parent company has pulled out of auto shows altogether. What we do know is the automaker promises a “late 2024” release date, so we only have months to wait instead of years. Enjoy these photos in the meantime and let me know what you think in the comments.
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