Dodge Charger EV Unveiling Set for March 5
Dodge marked the end of an era when it said goodbye to its Hemi-powered Charger at the end of 2023. A new era of the brand’s performance begins on March 5, when Dodge will unveil the production version of the Charger Daytona SRT EV it debuted in 2022.
The two-door electric hatchback, which, because language is continually evolving, Dodge is labeling a muscle car, will launch with three different power levels, with plans to offer six additional power levels through its factory-backed parts hub, Direct Connection. We’re also expecting a version of the Hurricane turbo inline-six to be a part of the Charger’s lineup.
Matt McAleer, senior vice president of Dodge/SRT sales and marketing, told a crowd at the J.D. Power Auto Summit in Las Vegas that the new car will look very much like the preproduction vehicle recently teased in spy shots. “Other than the wheels and side mirrors, which are just a little too small for regulatory purposes,” he said, “this is the real thing.”
Also a real thing is the new performance EV’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, which employs woofers and mid-range speakers working in conjunction with a complex series of chambers beneath the car, with a digitally rorty sound pumped out the back through dual pipes. The sound can reach 126 decibels and the aim, of course, is to make people forget they’re driving something that doesn’t make a peep. McAleer seems optimistic. “Having that vibration, that sound, truly makes a muscle car what it is,” he said. “It’s just as loud as today’s Hellcat.”
(The odd name, if you’re curious, derives from the Fratzog, which was the moniker given to the triangular badge applied to certain Dodge cars of the 1960s and ’70s, such as the Polara. A glowing version of the Fratzog now adorns the front of the Charger.)
The new Charger will also retain the R-Wing front end to enhance downforce, which Dodge claims is a nod to the look of the 1970 Charger.
“This is the next generation of muscle,” McAleer said. “We’re not going for the lowest drag coefficient. We’re not going for the highest mileage. We’re going to truly set a new bar.”
Expect to see that new bar, and the new car propping it up, sometime in early March.
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I expect this to turn up in NASCAR.
The inline six may have power but it will never have the V8 sound.
There’s more excitement in watching two tortoises make out than watch NASCAR.
Turn up in Nascar? What? So it can spend 30 minutes in the pits during the race charging?
“It’s just as loud as today’s Hellcat.”.. Except its not a Hellcat. And after awhile it’ll be about as exciting as pulling the switch on an angle grinder.
The Green Bean counters forgot the golden rule, “There is no replacement for cubic inch displacement “
Speakers to fake an exhaust sound. I can wait!
I like their attitude towards the car, not to be green, but to be fast. At least that makes sense. They should have called it something else, though, learning of the disdain towards the e-Mustang. Maybe it is planned- in a couple of years they can have the V8 return model.
Oh great! Just when I thought we would have quiet streets with EVs, now the idiots will be blasting the environment with fake exhaust noise. I guess the cops can continue writing tickets. Stellantis has the wrong attitude for the EV future. They will be the first to fold.
I hope all the manufacturers go down or turn tail on these ridiculous mandated “green obtrocities, which has already started. None of the people who seem to care so much about our environment will accept the truth as to how much more minerals, power, etc. these EV’s use vs. a typical ICE vehicle. We need rolling power outages and EV’s stuck on the highways as recently happened for the many sheep to realize their mistakes and believing the pie in the sky saving the earth BS..
Greenies won’t like it because it’s supposed to be a hot rod. Motor heads won’t like it because it’s supposed to be green (it’s not as pointed out by others). What is the market again?
Stupidity: fake sound for a fake muscle car. Don’t know if l can control my excitement.
Fewer drivers are interested in electric vehicles today than ever before, according to a new survey. This is further confirmed by Hertz’s recent announcement that it is selling 20,000 electric cars in its fleet.
Let me know when a Hurricane is under the hood. Otherwise, not interested, at any price.