AUBURN HILLS, MI—Dodge plans to produce an electric version of a muscle car. It recently unveiled the Charger Daytona SRT concept car, which features a throaty exhaust sound that replicates an internal combustion engine. Stellantis plans to start producing the car in 2024 at its assembly plant in Brampton, ON.
“The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept exists because performance made us do it,” says Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Dodge brand at Stellantis. According to Kuniskis, the vehicle will “drive like a Dodge, look like a Dodge and sound like a Dodge.”
“Dodge is about muscle, attitude and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the EV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations and performance features that embody the electrified muscle of tomorrow,” explains Kuniskis.
“The Charger Daytona SRT Concept can do more than run the car show circuit; it can run a blazing quarter-mile,” claims Kuniskis. “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.”
Kuniskis says the new vehicles will feature “inspired design that takes on the challenge of revolutionizing the look of a BEV while offering subtle nods to the brand’s muscle car past.” It will be powered by an 800-volt Banshee propulsion system.
While most EVs embrace their virtually silent electric power trains, Dodge engineers are taking a different approach. The Charger Daytona SRT emits a 126-decibel roar that is equivalent to the traditional gas-powered SRT Hellcat engine. The sound is generated via a new, patent-pending Fratzonic chambered exhaust system. Sound is transmitted through an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle.