No car may be more crucial to its maker than the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona. Dodge needs to get it just right. A new report says they’re behind schedule because they’re still working out the kinks.
“According to multiple dealer sources, the cars have been pushed back by 90 days,” says Dodge superfan site Mopar Insider. “Sources close to the program have told us that the postponement is necessary to address several electrical issues that have surfaced during testing.”
The move would push the car’s debut into August.
Dodge Must Get This One Right
Electrical issues would be critical for the Charger because electricity is its controversial new power source. Dodge ended production of its popular Charger sedan and Challenger coupe at the end of 2023.
Those cars, with their rear-wheel drive balance, Hemi V8 power, and muscle car attitude, defined the Dodge brand in many minds. The company positioned the Charger Daytona as their replacement — the “electric muscle car” of the future.
The company later hedged its bets, promising versions of the new car powered by a pair of inline-6-cylinder engines. Those, however, will come later in the production run. The newest Charger is an electric vehicle (EV) with a claimed 3.3-second zero-to-60 time. Dodge will sell it with two or four doors.
The new EV will test how much styling matters to Dodge fans. It looks more like the classic Dodge muscle cars of the late 1960s and early 1970s than even the prior-generation Charger and Challenger did. However, the EV’s look is essentially a costume – the blunt front end is an elaborate wing hiding sleek sports car curves beneath.
It even roars a little like a muscle car, thanks to air pumped through resonating pipes beneath.
Mopar Insiders reports that engineers have run into several electric gremlins, including hatches that don’t open properly.
“This three-month delay will allow engineers to resolve the issues and ensure a smoother debut for the e-muscle car,” the site says.
