Zac Quinn 
The Dodge Charger and Challenger ended production nearly a month ago. Now that they have left the stage, the upcoming electric Charger Daytona, utilizing the Banshee electric powertrain, is preparing to take up the mantle as Dodge’s high-performance muscle car. The brand is only building two vehicles right now: the Dodge Durango and the Hornet. But it won’t be long until the next-generation, new Dodge Charger reaches the market, and it looks like the brand has just released a few teaser photos of a pre-production version of the electric Banshee-powered muscle car.
Multiple images showcasing a pre-production new Dodge Charger Daytona can be found on the brand’s various social media pages. One showcases an employee removing the camouflage for the car, and two others show off the retro-inspired muscle car in different locations as if a spy were taking them. The photos are accompanied by text stating, “No cameras or recording devices permitted. Pre-production model shown. Available late 2024.
1. It’s Electric
If you were expecting a Hemi, a Hurricane, or a Hellcat, sorry. This ain’t it. If the lack of rear tailpipes weren’t enough, there are several other giveaways, such as the lack of ventilation in the front, where an engine presumably would be, as well as the “Daytona” name and fratzog logo. The latter two are said to be exclusive to Dodge’s upcoming electric vehicles. Moreover, the Dodge Charger Daytona is expected to be offered in multiple outputs, with the most-powerful Banshee version eclipsing the legendary Hellcat, at over 800 horsepower. Interestingly, the charge port appears to be where the gas cap would be.
2. Where’s The ICE Version?
This pre-production Dodge Charger looks like a mix between the Banshee concept and the recent Christmas ad from Dodge that had a very Plymouth Barracuda-esque coupe doing an all-wheel-drive pull in the snow (pictured above). But again, this is the EV. And it’s possible that Dodge is looking to visually differentiate the expected ICE car from the electric one, so don’t assume this design will be the only one we see this year.
Powering the next-gen ICE Dodge muscle cars will be Hurricane inline-six turbo engine, likely in a series of outputs, and likely with the assistance of electrification. On its own, a high-output Hurricane engine is good for 500 hp, ensuring that whatever’s next remains competitive with the S650 Ford Mustang in the horsepower wars.
3. It Looks Smaller Than The Concept Car
Yes, the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona is a spitting image of the Banshee concept, but has been shaped in a way that makes sense for mass production. It doesn’t look as detailed, nor as expensive as the concept, and that’s no surprise there. But what we can also make out is that the proportions are different, too. The front end on this pre-production Dodge Charger Daytona EV looks stubbier than the Banshee concept, while the roofline is more tapered, as well. That said, the useful liftback design appears to have made the cut, which will give this two-door coupe an added sense of practicality. Sadly, those awesome single-lug wheels on the Banshee don’t appear to be headed for production. As for the manufactured “exhaust” that debuted on the concept, we’ll have to wait and see.
4. Production-intent R-Wing, LED Lights
With a focused look at the front end design, we can see the LED light bar is split into at least three pieces on the pre-production Dodge Charger Daytona EV, where it was one solid piece on the Banshee concept. To be critical, it’s not the cleanest, flushest job we’ve seen, and hopefully Stellantis engineers can figure out how to make it look more seamless. Moreover, because of its shortened proportions, we can see that the R-wing design isn’t as pronounced as it was on the concept, at least from these camera angles. But it’s there.
5. Zero Camo
We’ve seen this tend (fad?) with automakers and new EVs: early full-body reveals so that engineers can test more openly and expediently. After all, if the Charger Daytona is coming in late 2024, and it’s being teased in the flesh now, that’s not a lot of time, but does demonstrate how quickly an automaker can bring an electric vehicle to market (such as the GMC Hummer EV). The downside to this re-ordering of engineering operations is that the products can launch to market with more than a few obvious indicators that quality shortcuts were taken in an effort to impress Wall Street, regulators, or both.
