Dodge Charger EV, gas-powered muscle car revealed

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Dodge Charger EV, gas-powered muscle car revealed



2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV

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DETROIT – Dodge isn’t about to let down its traditional geared, high-octane Charger and Challenger owners with its next-generation muscle car.

The automaker unveiled the new Dodge Charger on Tuesday as an all-electric vehicle and a next-generation gasoline-powered muscle car. It will be Dodge’s first fully electric car.

The traditional car has been in question since late 2022, when Dodge announced it would end production of the long-standing Charger and Challenger late last year. At the time, the company said an electric vehicle would replace them, but declined to discuss the potential for future gas models.

Offering electric and gasoline versions of the vehicle will allow Dodge to be more flexible in production as sales of all-electric vehicles have grown slower than expected. Additional gas and electric chargers, including a “Banshee” electric vehicle, will follow the first vehicles.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV

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Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis called the electric vehicle a “game changer in the industry.” The new petrol-powered models, meanwhile, will outperform their V6-powered predecessors, as well as some of the V8 variants.

“We’re taking the ‘Golden Age’ performance that you judge everything by today, and we’re using the technology of the future to ensure it.” [the Dodge brothers’] “The legacy doesn’t die,” Kuniskis said during a media briefing. “The Banshee will be our ultimate performer.”

Two and four door models

The 2024 Charger EV, known as the Daytona, is expected to launch this summer with up to 670 horsepower, 627 foot-pounds of peak torque, and 0-60 mph acceleration in 3.3 seconds.

Two-door EV versions will start, followed by four-door models in the first quarter of next year. The gasoline-powered Chargers with a new in-line six-cylinder are expected to go on sale in 2025.

All next-generation Charger models will eventually be available in two- and four-door variants, replacing the four-door Dodge Charger and two-door Challenger.

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Pricing for the electric and gas models will be announced closer to their production, Kuniskis said. Current starting prices for the Charger and Challenger gas models range from approximately $33,000 to $96,000.

Both the electric and gasoline models will eventually be available in two- and four-door variants, replacing the four-door Dodge Charger and two-door Challenger. This change is expected to reduce parts and costs – according to an order from Carlos Tavares, CEO of Stellarwhich owns Dodge, to its brand managers.

Dodge said all electric and gas models will share a common interior and exterior design, which should also lead to more complex production and lower costs.

Asked whether the electric vehicle will be profitable, Kuniskis reiterated Tavares’ comment that the company will not sell electric vehicles at a loss to boost sales or meet federal fuel economy standards.

2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV

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As many brands switched to smaller and more fuel-efficient engines in recent years, Dodge released Hellcat models and other high-performance vehicles. Such models helped attract attention for the brand, but did not improve the automaker’s carbon footprint and forced it to accept carbon credits from automakers such as: B. to buy Tesla.

Stellantis’ Dare Forward 2030 strategic plan includes transitioning to electrified and more efficient propulsion systems, reducing the global carbon footprint by 50% by 2030 and leading the transportation industry by achieving net carbon zero by 2038.

Kuniskis said there are no plans for V8 or plug-in hybrid electric models for the new Charger, which will be produced at a Stellantis assembly plant in Windsor, Ontario, Canada.

Dodge Charger Daytona

The Charger Daytona EV will initially be offered in “R/T” and “Scat Pack” models with 496 hp and 670 hp, respectively. According to Dodge, the range on a full charge is 317 miles for the R/T and 260 miles for the Scat Pack.

A feature called “PowerShot” will be standard on Charger Daytona models and will deliver an additional 40 horsepower for 15 seconds when activated.

Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis unveils the Charger Daytona SRT electric muscle car concept on August 17, 2022 in Pontiac, Michigan.

Michael Wayland/CNBC

“We will be phasing out compressors and replacing them with kilowatts and PowerShots,” Kuniskis said.

The design of the new Charger is closely based on a Dodge concept car presented in August 2022. It’s a modern yet retro version of the current Dodge Challenger with a more aerodynamic design that’s still muscular. The front section in particular has a large opening for air to pass through, which the company calls “R-Wing”.

Kuniskis said the concept car is the “production car hiding in plain sight” to get customers used to the new design.

Dodge is still working on what the electric vehicle will sound like, Kuniskis said. The goal is to retain the roaring sound and driving characteristics of Dodge’s current gasoline-powered Charger and Challenger.

The “Fratzog” logo on the “R-Wing” of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack EV.

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Although electric cars can be fast and have “linear acceleration” that allows for amazing 0-60 mph times, they often lack the driving dynamics that many performance car owners enjoy. It’s a problem auto executives are trying to solve privately as the industry shifts to electric vehicles.

The gasoline-powered Charger is powered by a 3.0-liter twin-turbo “Hurricane” inline-six engine that also powers other Stellantis vehicles such as the Jeep Wagoneer and Ram 1500.

One difference between EVs and gasoline vehicles could be the use of a split deltoid “Fratzog” logo for EVs instead of Dodge’s current dual racing stripes. Kuniskis said the company is still considering whether to use the word “Fratzog” – a made-up word that Dodge originally used from 1962 to 1976 – for the gasoline models.





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2024-03-08 19:16:23

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