√Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept showcases future electric muscle cars

Dodge claims its Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car will be faster and louder than the supercharged Hemi V8-powered Charger Hellcat and Challenger Hellcat it replaces.

US car giant Dodge has revealed the Charger Daytona SRT Concept – an electric muscle car with all-wheel-drive, a multi-speed transmission and an exhaust louder than any V8 on sale.

Due to replace the ‘Hemi’ V8-powered variants of the Challenger coupe and Charger sedan which will be axed in 2023, the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept previews the company’s future electric muscle car, due in 2024.

Dodge claims the Charger Daytona SRT will be equipped with a ‘Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust’, delivering up to 126 decibels of noise – roughly 26 decibels more than the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat’s supercharged Hemi V8 engine.

The car maker says the exhaust “pushes its one-of-a-kind performance sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber located at the rear of the vehicle”, although the technology is patent-pending.

The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept is powered by an 800-volt electric platform nicknamed ‘Banshee’, allowing for faster charging and better electric motor performance.

Lesser variants of the electric Dodge Charger will be powered by a 400-volt platform.

Dodge hasn’t revealed any performance figures for the Charger Daytona SRT Concept yet, although it promises the all-wheel-drive electric car will be “faster than a Hellcat in all key performance measures”.

This means the Dodge Charger Daytona SRT could achieve a zero to 100km/h time close to three seconds, given the 2021 Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat’s claimed sprint time of 3.6 seconds.

While almost all electric cars have just one forward gear – apart from the Porsche Taycan and Audi E-Tron GT which have two – Dodge says the Charger Daytona SRT will feature a multi-speed transmission, allowing the car to feel like its petrol-powered predecessors.

Dodge’s Charger electric muscle car will be equipped with ‘PowerShot’, a steering wheel-mounted button which provides a temporary power boost, similar to systems in Formula One and IndyCar.

The electric Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept’s bonnet features what’s known as an ‘R-Wing’ – said to be inspired by the big wings of the 1969 Dodge Charger Daytona – to provide more downforce on the front of the car.

Aerodynamic 21-inch diamond-cut wheels sit in front of red six-piston front brake calipers, attached to a single-nut hub rather than the Dodge Charger’s five-stud design.

The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept is a four-seater, providing two rows of two ‘bucket’ seats for occupants, while the second row folds flat for additional storage space in the boot.

A 12.3-inch infotainment touchscreen is angled towards the driver, paired with a 16-inch digital instrument cluster and an 8.5-inch (eight by three inches, width and height) head-up display.

Red LEDs illuminate the Dodge Charger’s dashboard and door cards, while the interior trim is upholstered by burgundy-coloured leather with blue and silver stitching.

The Dodge Charger is due to become an electric model in 2024, with production of the current-generation sedan and its Challenger coupe sibling ending in December 2023.

The 6.2-litre V8 Hellcat engine was only fitted to the Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk in Australia, as Dodge exited the Australian market in 2016, having never sold the Charger Hellcat or Challenger Hellcat locally.

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