Dodge Daytona SRT Reveals the Look (and Sound) of Future Electric Muscle Cars

“Today, it’s 1978 for big V8s” says Tim Kuniskis, CEO of the Dodge brand.

“Today, trucks and SUV’s outsell cars 4 to 1. The switch away from cars happened fast. The race for electrification will happen even faster. The industry is investing 526 billion dollars into it. It’s happening.” Kuniskis says that Dodge’s journey to electrification had to take them in a different direction than the crowd.

“We didn’t want to do what everyone else was doing” he said. “That doesn’t work for us”. Then, he summoned the Dodge Challenger Daytona SRT concept car up onto the stage to show off what his team cooked up instead.

Much of the concept car looked production ready as it rolled onto the stage, complete with a powerful soundtrack, which is weird, because it’s electric and all. It’s a rhythmic drone with a patterned resonance. Imagine a sci-fi warp-drive spacecraft and a big, cammed-out V8 had a baby. This is what it would sound like. The noise is delivered with the same depth and presence as a pipe organ in a cathedral, and hits with as many decibels as a Hellcat.

No speakers here, though.

Instead, here’s an electric muscle car with an exhaust system made of special chambers and pipes and outlets that shape the movement of air to create an electric exhaust system that can pump out up to 126 decibels of noise while physically moving air out the backside of the car. “This is patented tech. Nobody else can do it” Kuniskis said as the concept car’s motors revved excitedly in the background. There’s even a cool ‘wind-down’ sound when the motors are switched off.

Also patented? A multi-speed transmission for the electric muscle car. “Linear acceleration is great, but it’s not exciting” Kuniskis says. A watchful nod from a nervous chief engineer stopped him from providing further details on gear ratios or the number of speeds for the new ‘E-Rupt’ transmission, but we do know that this concept car features patented and producible components including an electric exhaust system that’s as loud as a Hellcat, and a multi-speed transmission for more thrilling acceleration.

The concept car is pre-engineered to accommodate up to 9 performance levels, some of which involve additional software and hardware added by dealers. Further details on the power levels and associated grade names, including the ‘Banshee’, will come later.

All units are AWD-equipped and both 400-volt and 800-volt versions will be offered. With rectangular light bars in front and back, the Charger Daytona stays true to its styling roots, with elements both inside and out evocative of earlier Dodge muscle cars.

Giving a modern EV a muscle car shape has some challenges, as aerodynamics usually take top priority over glamorous looks. The solution for the Charger Daytona borrowed the nose-cone design from decades ago. Dubbed the R-wing, an opening at the front of the hood creates a full passthrough that’s extremely aerodynamic and enables a bolder and more expressive shape. The R-wings is patented too, by the way.

According to the design team, the two-door, four-passenger hatchback design should be very recognizable to Dodge’s fans, while bringing a fresh new face into the EV segment. “If you look at this and say ‘what the heck is that’, then we’re doing our job’ commented one designer. While a concept car was shown, Kuniskis was careful to point out that ‘patented’ means ‘producible’, and that this concept is very far from a science project.

Seems like Dodge is gearing up to launch an electric muscle car that you’ll definitely hear coming.