The development of the brand-new Dodge Charger is no longer a surprise. The muscle car that will serve as a replacement to the discontinued Challenger was previewed by a concept some one and a half years ago, and more recently, the Stellantis-owned company has started releasing teasers.
An official rendering hit the web during the Winter Holidays, and Dodge stepped it up a notch last week when it dropped some very revealing images of it. Fast forward to this week, and a prototype of the upcoming Charger (Daytona) was spied undergoing testing on public roads.
Not much has changed compared to the study, as this tester still had wide hips. Nevertheless, the lighting signature at the rear is different, and the bumper was modified. A small spoiler decorates the trunk lid, and if you look closely at the video shared on social media by hellrango_nic, which came via connor.mink, you will also see that it has different door handles and larger side mirrors.
The previous teasers have also revealed the muscle car's front end, which features a pair of small headlamps joined by a thin light strip on the lower end. It has a minimalist grille, a bulging hood, and a generous air intake in the middle of the bumper. To no one's surprise, the pre-production model stays true to the concept, albeit with a few tweaks here and there.
Photo: Instagram | hellrango_nic via connor.mink
From what we can tell, there are no visible tailpipes on the scooped prototype. Since we cannot hear the typical sound of an internal combustion engine, we may be looking at an electric derivative. Several zero-emission models are expected to make up the family, including an 800V Banshee that should dwarf Hellcats in terms of performance.
Mind you, the all-new Dodge Charger won't launch with electron-sipping assemblies solely, as it is also believed to feature lumps fed by fossil fuels. A Hurricane 3.0L twin-turbo straight-six unit should be part of the powertrain lineup, alongside others. Thus, the vehicle will cater to those who cannot be bothered with EVs and those who think battery-electric machines are the future.
More importantly, the next Charger will take a serious swing at the latest-gen Ford Mustang, as the Blue Oval's muscle car is only offered with ICE units. The range currently comprises the 2.3L EcoBoost and 5.0L V8 and will be joined by the GTD and perhaps a brand-new Shelby GT500 in roughly two years.
We will find out more about the all-new Dodge Charger as the testing advances and more prototypes get spied doing their thing in various environments. As for the production model, it is expected to premiere at the end of the year, which is when the grand unveiling should be hosted.
After a series of unfortunate events put an end to Cristian's dream of entering a custom built & tuned old-school Dacia into a rally competition, he moved on to drive press cars and write for a living. He's worked for several automotive online journals and now he's back at autoevolution after his first tour in the mid-2000s. Full profile
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