What the Dodge Daytona SRT concept could mean for the Charger and Challenger

Dodge successfully executed its first step toward electrification with the swaggering Charger Daytona SRT concept. It creates excitement for the post-Hemi V8 world and assuages the Mopar base, which is often skeptical toward electric cars.

The Charger Daytona, revealed earlier this month, previews Dodge’s strategy to replace the Charger and Challenger with electrics after the current models end production in 2023.

Look at it. The Daytona SRT is a Coke-bottle-shaped, two-door muscle car complete with the narrow grille with vertical accents. It’s the 1968 Charger reborn. Even with the sleeker lines and flashy wheels, it looks more like the idea of a Dodge Charger than the current sedan does, though we'd love to see some side scallops on the production version, like the '68 has (below).

This is how you win over a customer base. Dodge is saying: Don’t fear EVs. The one we’re making will look more like the car you’ve wanted all along. Mythology never hurts in marketing. The jockular Dodge announcement touts the Fratzog badge (used from 1962-76 on Dodge muscle cars), 126-decibel exhaust (which dismissively pans EVs’ usual quiet demeanor) and electro-mechanical shifter (called eRupt) that effects a manual transmission experience. The 800-volt all-wheel-drive propulsion system is dubbed Banshee. It’s all very Dodge.