Dodge could soon say goodbye to its first electric muscle car, the Charger Daytona. After a difficult debut, the model’s sales are well below expectations. In the first six months of 2025, only 4,299 units were registered (R/T and Scat Pack versions) between the United States and Canada, compared to over 47,000 Dodge vehicles sold in the same period. A sharp decline from the 92,735 units registered in the same semester of 2024.
The main cause? The farewell to internal combustion models in 2023. In the first quarter of 2025, Dodge sold more gasoline-powered Chargers and Challengers (now out of production) than new electric Daytonas. Even the criticized Hornet outsold the EV muscle car, with 5,647 units sold. The public has not yet accepted the idea of a muscle car without a V8.
Dodge Charger Daytona EV: the electric muscle car heading for exit?
The Dodge Charger Daytona was presented with great fanfare in March 2024, but its market debut has been more than complicated. Software problems, poor customer response, and a synthetic sound, the so-called Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust, have not convinced purists. Even Tim Kuniskis, then head of the brand, left the company shortly after the launch, stating that “killing the HEMI was anti-American.”
Stellantis realized it had gotten the strategy wrong and recalled Kuniskis (now CEO of Ram) and announced the return of the V8 to the lineup (with the TRX and other HEMI proposals coming). The base Charger Daytona R/T version has already been withdrawn for poor sales, with a promise to return in 2026. But even the Scat Pack struggles to take off, and according to several internal sources, Stellantis is reportedly considering complete cancellation of the EV model by 2026.
Further complicating the situation are new 25% U.S. tariffs on cars produced in Canada, where the Daytona is assembled. According to estimates, these tariffs could increase production costs by up to $22,000 per vehicle, making the electric muscle car, already sold starting at $73,985, even less competitive and profitable.
Converting a factory in the US to produce the Daytona EV would require investments that Stellantis doesn’t seem willing to sustain for such a weak model in the market. The new Dodge Charger Sixpack, a version with internal combustion engine, has been spotted in recent days on Detroit streets, a sign that its debut is very close. We’ll see how the situation evolves with the arrival of this model, which could definitively overshadow the 100% electric version.
