I don't envy the marketing team at Dodge. Getting owners of any popular model to go fully electric can be a tough proposition; cars like the Volvo EX90 and Porsche Macan seem promising, but not every loyalist is going to be fully onboard with an EV future quite yet. Arguably no automaker has a tougher task than Dodge, which will soon aim to sell some of the most hardcore, gas-crazed, V8-loving American gearheads on electric power when the Dodge Charger Daytona gets an electric option.
And Dodge may end up having to sell the Mopar faithful on paying quite a bit more than they have for these cars in the past.
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Is the V8 muscle car a thing of the past?
Faced with tightening emissions and fuel economy rules, Dodge had little choice but to take the legendary Challenger and Charger electric. But that fanbase may be tough to win to the EV side after leaning into V8 power for so long.
A newly reported price leak over at Mopar Insiders—originally sourced from YouTube's Butter Da Insider—claims that the new Charger Daytona EV models could cost some $15,000 more than their outgoing, Hemi V8-powered counterparts. And while the EVs do represent an extremely impressive performance bump over the gas cars, they could now end up ceasing to be the affordable everyperson muscle cars they are now.
The official pricing of the Charger Daytona EV sedan and coupe haven't been announced yet. But this reported leak claims that the launch edition Daytona R/T Configuration 1 could start around $68,570. Meanwhile, upgrading to the Daytona Scat Pack could set you back $82,170.
That's a big jump over the current V8 cars. Right now, you could get a Challenger R/T starting at around $42,000; upgrade to a Scat Pack with more power and better options for $50,680; or score a 797-horsepower SRT Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak starting at $82,895.
(As a side note, I had no idea the names of these things had become so absurd. Redeye Jailbreak! What a time to be alive.)
But as with all things EVs, there are some caveats here. First and foremost, these are almost assuredly just "launch edition" prices for the electric Charger; like the new Jeep Wagoneer S, it's sure to debut some more loaded, collector's item-style packages at launch before cheaper models inevitably trickle out. I fully expect prices to go up and down as Dodge finds ways to offer the new Charger at better prices, as well as more extreme ones.
Gallery: 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona
Additionally, Dodge is sure to make the performance argument with these cars, whether the V8 superfans want to hear it or not. Designed to "surpass [the] legendary V8 performance," the new Charger Daytona EV has 670 horsepower out of the gate and is expected to hit 60 mph in just 3.3 seconds in Scat Pack form. If so, that's a full ticker quicker than the aforementioned Hellcat Redeye Jailbreak, no doubt thanks to the traction advantage since it's dual-motor all-wheel-drive.
In all honestly—and I'm clearly biased here—the electric Charger Daytona seems pretty badass. It looks excellent in coupe and sedan form, has some interesting gimmicks like a simulated exhaust sound, and promises a very decent 317-mile range from its 100.5-kWh gross (93.4-kWh net) battery pack. The more powerful Scat Pack should do 260 miles on a full charge.
Honestly, it all sounds quite a bit more interesting and compelling than the version with the forthcoming twin-turbo inline-six; if people wanted a BMW, they'd get a BMW, right? But it's going to be up to Dodge to sell its fans on what an EV can do. With any luck, it'll start at the top and then work its way down to lots more everyday customers.
We reached out to Dodge for confirmation and will update if we hear back.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
