Photo: Stellantis
Dodge has done for muscle cars what The Rock could not do for the DC Universe: change the hierarchy of power. On Tuesday, the world got its first glimpse at the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona, an all-electric take on its legendary beast.
Picking up where the previous-gen Charger left off, Dodge cements the electrified Charger Daytona as the quickest and most powerful muscle car in the game today. The Scat Pack boasts 670 horsepower and a 3.3-second 0-60, putting it ahead of the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. And the entry-level Charger Daytona R/T is far from a slouch at 496 ponies.
There may not be a HEMI under the hood, but Dodge decks out the Charger Daytona with all the trimmings you’d expect with a classic muscle car. Upgrades like 16-inch Brembo brakes, 20-inch wheels with staggered Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar 3 tires, adaptive damping, and an available Drag Mode. On top of all that, it gets new features like Donut Mode and Drift Mode and a PowerShot mode that boosts output by 40 horsepower for 15 seconds.
Charger Daytona feels familiar in all the right ways
Photo: Stellantis
Photo: Stellantis
Photo: Stellantis
In terms of look, Dodge makes it easy to pin the Charger Daytona to its heritage with a muscular, clean body that hearkens back to its forebearers and recalls the Charger Daytona SRT Concept revealed in 2022. It also gets unique features like a patent-pending R-Wing up front that increases downforce and a Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust that makes this thing roar like a Hellcat.
Photo: Stellantis
Photo: Stellantis
Photo: Stellantis
Inside, you’ll find what Dodge dubs a mission control center, marked by an available 16-inch Digital Cluster Display and a 12.3-inch center screen. Black or Demonic Red Nappa leather-trimmed seats and 64-color Attitude Adjustment ambient lighting add an ultra-sporty punch to the interior that make it the definitive muscle car of a new era.
Dodge offering two ICE-powered Charger variants
If the fact that the Charger Daytona electric isn’t enough to cause the purest purists to break out in hives, Dodge offering a two-door version just might. This more or less confirms that the Charger has absorbed the life force of the Challenger. But those diehards will be reassured learning that Dodge isn’t giving up on ICE just yet. In early 2025, Dodge will roll out two combustion engine-powered versions of the Charger two-door and four-door: the 550-horsepower Charger SIXPACK H.O. and 420-horsepower Charge SIXPACK S.O. Both will be powered by Stellantis’ 3.0-liter Twin Turbo Hurricane inline-six.
Dodge will kick off production of the two-door Charger Daytona R/T and Scat Pack within the next few months, and all other variants enter production in Q1 2025. You can sign up for future updates at the Dodge website.
Kyle S. Johnson lives in Cincinnati, a city known by many as “the Cincinnati of Southwest Ohio.” He enjoys professional wrestling, Halloween, and also other things. He has been writing for a while, and he plans to continue to write well into the future. See more articles by Kyle.