Here's a nice Friday surprise for any muscle car fans out there wondering if an electric future has anything in for them: the first pre-production photos of the car that's expected to be called the 2025 Dodge Charger have emerged. And it looks extremely close to the excellent Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Concept that's been making the rounds for a while.
These photos appeared on Dodge's Facebook page earlier this morning, and the downside is they come with no actual news, unfortunately. No further details about powertrain, price, performance or anything else we need to know as this Mopar icon makes the jump to electric power. But hey, we do know it's going to look awesome, and that's certainly something.
All we get from these photos of a car on a lot (presumably in Michigan) as camo tape is stripped away from it is a caption that says, "No cameras or recording devices permitted. Pre-production model shown. Available late 2024." The rest is up to your imagination, but since this is indeed a pre-production model—used for all sorts of things including testing—it does tell us that the design language of that concept car has translated to the real thing.
Unveiled in fall 2022, the Charger Daytona SRT Concept previewed an all-electric future for American muscle. That topic is as controversial as you get for enthusiasts who may not exactly be eager to part ways with internal combustion. But the specs may win them over: an 800-volt architecture, all-wheel-drive, speeds projected to surpass the SRT Hellcat and factory performance upgrades. It's believed the car will come with a variety of power outputs ranging from 455 horsepower to 800 hp or more.
Gallery: Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Stryker Red Concept
The next Charger (which is a coupe, unlike the outgoing Charger sedan) is equally controversial for what's called the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system: an artificial sound that simulates the rumble and pitch of a V8 engine and is said to be as loud as a Hellcat as well. When that feature was previewed in 2022, it debuted to mixed reactions, to say the least. But the Mopar folks have indicated they've been working on it since, so the final product might be much more of a crowd-pleaser.
Interestingly, Dodge initially indicated the Charger would be EV-only, but now it's expected to pack a gas engine as well—possibly the twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter "Hurricane" inline-six currently available in Ram and Jeep vehicles. It's unclear which one we're looking at in these new pics, but given the importance of this EV to the future of muscle cars, it possible Dodge will want to lead with that version. (And is that a gas cap or a charging port here?)
Either way, I think it looks sharp. We'll see if it has what it takes to win over the V8 die-hards when it makes its official debut later this year.
Contact the author: patrick.george@insideevs.com
