Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept: American Muscle in the EV Era

• Today, Dodge unveiled what it's calling "the future of electrified muscle." The Charger Daytona SRT is an electric performance coupe meant to carry the torch passed by the outgoing Charger and Challenger.

• The Daytona SRT will have an 800-volt electrical architecture called Banshee. Powertrain specs aren't available, but Dodge claims it will be faster than a Hellcat.

• Other features meant to enhance the muscle-car experience include a multi-speed transmission, a temporary horsepower boost button, and an "exhaust" system meant to make the Daytona SRT just as loud as a Hellcat.

It seems like the days of proud American muscle cars with forceful V-8 engines and growling exhausts will soon slip gracefully into the past. Dodge's Charger and Challenger models will take their final bow after 2023, and electric models are encroaching on classic nameplates such as the Chevy Camaro and the Ford Mustang, too.

Still, Dodge doesn't want you to mourn the muscle car just yet. The new Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept is an electric performance coupe set to carry Dodge's brash legacy forward and become "the future of electrified muscle."

The heart of the Daytona SRT is its 800-volt electrical architecture christened Banshee. This is double the voltage of the 400-volt architecture used by many other EVs and allows for faster charging, better cooling for the electric motors, and lighter wiring. The Porsche Taycan, Audi e-tron GT, Hyundai Ioniq 5, and Kia EV6 also use 800-volt architectures.

Though Dodge hasn't yet shared any performance or powertrain details for the concept, it claims that the Daytona SRT will be faster than its Hellcat V-8–powered cousins "in all key performance measures." We assume this means both acceleration and top speed. For reference, the 2023 Charger SRT Hellcat Redeye with the Jailbreak package has a monstrous 807 horsepower, and the Redeye we tested raced to 60 mph in 3.5 seconds. A push-to-pass button called PowerShot will provide a temporary power boost.

Unlike its ICE-powered, rear-wheel-drive predecessor, the Daytona SRT is all-wheel drive, demonstrated in true Dodge fashion with a four-wheel burnout from a teaser video posted in July of last year. It will also get six-piston brakes, and regenerative braking will surely be incorporated as well.