Dodge is going through an existential crisis, and I’m here for it.
It’s safe to say that everyone hated the Dodge Charger Daytona. Okay, not everyone. But it’s sorta like that “not all men” thing, alright? There are a few people who probably love the thing, but you’d have to really dig around the forums to find them. The Dodge Charger was one of the last remaining muscle cars, keeping the gas-guzzling, straight-line dream alive. When the Charger came back as an EV, it was a risk. And it didn’t pay off. The unreliability, underwhelming design, and lack of, I don’t know, muscle made the Daytona a pretty big dud.
The Daytona sold only 7,421 units in its first full year, and demand rapidly faded in the latter half of that year. Along with the value. It was just a big mess. To make up for it, Dodge announced the Sixpack. The 3.0-liter Hurrican High Output engine offers 550 horsepower and 531 lb-ft of torque. Which is cool, compared to the Daytona. But not compared to before… What once was…
But now, Dodge is taking us back even further!
It’s a bird, it’s a plane… It’s a Superbird?
First reported by The Drive, Dodge CEO Matt McLear said there was going to be a “turnaround plan,” including a refresh for the Charger. While he claimed it’s “way too early” to know if the new Charger is a success (I can answer that), it seems like they are aware that Americans want more.
The Drive was shown the Dodge Charger SRT.
While no images were allowed, the journalists explained something breathtaking. There were two Chargers on display, one neon green and one blue. The neon green Charger was the SRT variant, featuring amber LED running lights at the bottom of sunken headlights, which was smoked and aggressive. Below, there was a massive front splitter, above a huge hood scoop. And yes: a massive rear wing. Just like the ones that got the Superbird banned.
Seeing this in Detroit sounds like a magical moment.
We aren’t sure what is underneath the SRT. Will it be a Hemi V8? Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has talked about bringing it back plenty of times, but never fully confirmed when or what or how or who. However, there are only so few options… But that’ll come. For now, we are basically just stunned that the Superbird is essentially back.
In a world full of such bland, safe SUVs and drone-like EVs, the idea of a Dodge Charger with an aggressive face and massive wing sounds exhilarating. Dodge isn’t dead. It’s not giving up. It still has ideas, passion… We love to see automakers push these limits and bring us something they truly care about.
The real question is: When is it coming??
