Dodge, maybe alone amongst modern automakers, has seen immense success in translating the archaic Twentieth-century Muscle Automobile components into the twenty first. It has executed this by stuffing more and more outrageous iterations of its fashionable Hemi V8 into practically each automobile in its product line. Its fervent Hellcat-ing has been sufficient, surprisingly, to take care of steadily vigorous gross sales of its Challenger coupe and Charger sedan, 20-year-old automobiles aping 55-year-old designs and using on platforms developed greater than 30 years in the past.
However these autos are lastly going away. They are going to be changed by flexible-powertrain two- and four-door fashions, each referred to as Charger, that shall be motivated, at launch in early 2025, solely by a 100.5 kWh battery pack and a pair of electrical motors. (And in the event you’re a Mopar nut however are dedicated to inner combustion, your muscle-car future means an inline-six engine, as in the event you had been a type of guys whose whole wardrobe consists of ///M attire. Are you able to think about?) So how does Mopar’s methylized muscle-maker plan to persuade potential shoppers to purchase into such a blasphemous switcheroo?
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
To get lovers’ “butts-in-seats” and help with this electron baptism, Dodge is planning a complete sequence of occasions within the upcoming yr, mentioned Matt McAlear, the model’s CEO. It’s going to take its new EV muscle automobiles on tour within the first quarter of 2025 to coach its gross sales and dealership employees and exhibit the autos’ capabilities. It’s launching a courtesy transportation program whereby it should ship EVs to sellers to make use of for short-term shopper take a look at drives, or as 96-hour loaners when clients are available to have their automobile serviced. It’s going to host consumer-facing “Thrill Experience” drive occasions at upcoming Mecum and Barrett-Jackson basic automobile auctions, and at its drifting/drag racing “Roadkill Nights” dwell occasions in the summertime–—prime websites for the gathering of Hemis of all vintages.
“Dodge is all the time greatest as a model when it does one thing completely different,” McAlear mentioned, referencing the automaker’s advertising slogan from the Nineteen Eighties and Nineties, Dodge Totally different. And he’s actually proper about convincing folks with precise seat time and never simply adverts. Examine after examine signifies that when folks expertise EVs for themselves, or hear from family and friends who do, they’re much more prone to pull the set off themselves.
Plus, he mentioned, this EV has the bona fides. “This automobile, it is a muscle automobile first. Should you have a look at the specs, the design, the aptitude, and take powertrain out of it, it’s a greater muscle automobile on paper than the automobiles it replaces,” he famous. “So whereas there’s a polarizing, controversial facet to this—that it occurs to have an EV powertrain as one of many powertrains that’s going to energy it—nobody can argue the battery electrical know-how permits terrific efficiency, and that is what we’re bringing to market with this.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
To enunciate this level, McAlear identified that even after Dodge introduces ICE-powered iterations of the Charger within the second half of 2025, gasoline energy will signify “the entry-level autos from a efficiency standpoint.” So if a possible shopper needs a automobile with the quickest acceleration (0-60 in 3.3 seconds) they’ll study that that functionality is a battery-only possibility.
This powertrain rollout and hierarchy is a acknowledged a part of Dodge’s technique for muscling the muscle automobile devoted towards EVs, in keeping with McAlear. One other prong on this program is to concentrate on added utility and each day drivability, to create what Stellantis design chief Ralph Gilles referred to as “emotional alibis” to guide shoppers towards acceptance of this new product.
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
McAlear listed a collection of capabilities that may present such cowl for what quantities to a extremely irrational and emotional buy. “All-wheel-drive, as an example, helps us compete extra within the North as a each day driver,” he mentioned, referencing its all-weather functionality. “A hidden hatchback functionality offers you superb cargo house that you just didn’t have in your outdated automobile. The brand new Charger two-door now has extra rear-seat legroom than the outgoing four-door,” he mentioned. “So this turns into rather more of a each day driver than any of the muscle automobiles that we have had prior.”
Will this litany of added performance persuade Dodge die-hards, who will obtain a defeatable artificial exhaust observe that’s as boisterous as that of the outgoing automobile, however no scent of unburned gas or potential to smoke the rear tires from a standstill?
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
“In all probability not instantly out of the gate,” McAlear mentioned. “It will take a while. It will take them seeing one on the road. It will take them entering into for service and testing one whereas they’re getting an oil change. However I’ve seen these folks get behind the wheel and are available out with modified opinions.”
Nevertheless, convincing the devoted will not be the best tactic for furthering this automobile’s market penetration. “Although a muscle automobile and an electrical automobile appear diametrically opposed, there is a chance for electrification to amplify the concept, advantages, and aspirational nature of the muscle automobile,” mentioned Alexander Edwards, president of Strategic Imaginative and prescient, a Southern California automotive analysis and consulting agency. “Nevertheless, the conversion of these from the previous, I don’t consider is the perfect technique. As an alternative, a brand new era of muscle automobiles can discover success with youthful people who assume they like muscle automobiles.”
Because it seems, Dodge has simply such shoppers in its targets. “Should you have a look at our present demographic at this time, we’ve got the youngest demographic within the mainstream auto business,” mentioned McAlear. “We’ve the best proportion of Gen Z and Millennials. And people clients have the best propensity to be prepared to undertake electrification. In order that units us up.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
Dodge is perhaps onto one thing right here. Although muscle automobile looks as if an anachronistic class to anybody who isn’t a Boomer, analysis exhibits that these autos have and keep broader attraction. “The attention-grabbing factor with these automobiles, I believe, is that they’re much more long-lived than automobiles like tri-five [1955-57] Chevys, or different American automobiles of the period,” mentioned Brian Rabold, vp of valuation for Hagerty, the world’s largest insurer of collectible autos. “There are much more entry factors for youthful generations to turn into all in favour of them—by means of driving video video games, by means of films just like the Quick and Livid franchise.” As Rabold notes, pop cultural publicity conjures curiosity and need, and interprets into purchases, whether or not these be outdated Polaras and Highway Runners, or newer Fox Physique Mustangs and fourth-gen Firebirds.
Nonetheless, rumors have continued that curiosity in Dodge’s new muscular EV is much less sturdy than the model initially suspected and that it’s thus dashing the inline-six-powered iterations to complement this engagement. McAlear denies this categorically.
“That is what you name an city legend,” he mentioned. “Somebody put one factor on the Web. And if it is on the Web, it is true, proper?” He laughed, underlining his sarcasm. “We’re all the time making an attempt to convey each new automobile to market as rapidly as attainable,” he continued. “It would not do us any good from an R&D and a capital expenditure standpoint to carry gross sales any longer than we’ve got to. So nothing has modified with our timing.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
Total, as soon as each powertrains are in the marketplace, McAlear expects the combo of Charger patrons to section about evenly: half electrical, half gasoline. This aligns with Dodge’s present mixture of high-test Hemi- versus lesser-powered Challengers and Chargers. “If we glance traditionally at our V6 versus our efficiency V8, it was roughly 50/50,” McAlear mentioned. “So I nonetheless assume there’s a chance, over time—as adoption continues to occur, and as infrastructure is available in throughout the U.S. by way of charging functionality—I believe there’s the power for this [EV] to beat a 50/50 combine.” (Dodge officers declined to handle questions on demand or pre-orders, however mentioned they plan to stay versatile by way of manufacturing primarily based on shopper demand.)
If any marque is positioned to succeed with an electrical muscle automobile, it appears to be Mopar’s efficiency model. “Customers who personal the Charger and Challenger normally love their autos,” mentioned Edwards, whose agency conducts lots of of hundreds of in-depth psychographic surveys with new automobile patrons yearly. “Even those that by no means purchase a Dodge can typically agree that Dodge is an thrilling model that has rather a lot to supply. If Dodge takes the place that they’re innovating pleasure, then this subsequent step might be a doorway for Dodge’s electrical future.” He added one additional provision. “They only need to get the messaging proper.”
Picture by: InsideEVs
2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV
McAlear and his groups appear to be enthusiastic about this rigorously, calibrating their messaging to entice purchasers who could also be concurrently powertrain-aware and -agnostic. “Individuals purchase a muscle automobile for a lot extra than simply what powers it. They purchase it due to the way it makes them really feel. It is an extension of their character. It places a smile on their face. They’ve enjoyable being in it. They’ve enjoyable being seen it,” he mentioned. “So I believe that is what this automobile does. And it opens this as much as a a lot bigger demographic and viewers.”
After spending a while within the Daytona Charger EV, just lately, I felt prefer it succeeded in charting a freshly charged path into the moribund world of muscle automobiles. So Dodge seemingly has the product proper. And it has a historical past of making memorable messaging.
We’ll see if it may well discover a magic recipe that yields outcomes from a youthful viewers open to this surprisingly compelling and venerable class.
Brett Berk is a contract automotive author primarily based in New York. He has pushed and reviewed hundreds of automobiles for Automobile and Driver and Highway & Monitor, the place he’s a contributing editor. He has additionally written for Architectural Digest, Billboard, ELLE Decor, Esquire, GQ, Journey + Leisure and Self-importance Honest.
