Dodge Charger Daytona EV Reportedly Delayed Due To Electrical Issues

If you were hoping to take delivery of a new Dodge Charger Daytona EV soon, we may have bad. According to several dealer sources who spoke with Mopar Insiders, the launch of the electric muscle car has been delayed by 90 days, pushing it into the fall. They report that dealer documentation releases, allocation orders, ordering processes, and the official presentation of the Charger Daytona will now take place in August.

The reason for the delay? Several electrical faults have surfaced during testing, with some prototypes spotted being towed back to the factory and others reportedly displaying faults with the opening of the electric rear hatch (available on higher-trim models). It appears that these electrical faults won’t be catastrophic, however, as the delay is not indefinite.

Production May Not Be Affected

The report is a little confusing, as Stellantis said during the Daytona EV’s debut that the sales launch would take place this fall. Thus, it seems that Dodge expects the issue to be resolved before the on-sale date (which is yet to be nailed down), but dealers will simply get a little less time to prepare their staff for the new model. Still, any delay is bound to be concerning, especially since Dodge is losing sales to the Mustang, the only remaining American muscle car on sale.

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The delay is specific to coupe models, as the four-door versions will only enter production in the first quarter of next year, at which point Dodge will also unleash its gas-powered Charger models. Unlike their predecessors, these gasoline-fed variants will feature a twin-turbo inline-six called the Hurricane, bringing a multi-generational tradition of V8-powered Chargers and Challengers to a close.

Charger Daytona Will Be Worth The Wait

Whenever the new electric Charger finally does go on sale this year, power outputs will start at 456 horsepower for the entry-level Daytona R/T, moving up to 496 if you equip the Stage 1 upgrade kit from Direct Connection. The Daytona Scat Pack ships with a Stage 2 kit, bringing its total to 670 hp, but an even more powerful Banshee variant built on 800V architecture is in the works. There’s also talk of a less powerful and more accessible RWD Charger, but this is yet to be confirmed. Along with features like Donut Mode, Drift Mode, Line Lock, and Launch Control, the electric Charger aims to prove that it can elicit the same emotions its supercharged forebear did. To do so, it first has to reach dealers, so we hope no further delays are lurking around the corner.

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Source:
Mopar Insiders