The North American part of Stellantis is currently in the process of doing a big, smoke-pouring 180-degree turn on its plans to phase out the beloved Hemi V8 engine and introduce more EVs. The Hemi has returned to the Ram pickup and won’t disappear from the Jeep Wrangler as planned, and it could even make a previously unplanned appearance in the new Dodge Charger.
Elsewhere, the mega-corporation has cancelled plans for a fully electric Ram truck and delayed the launch of the entry-level electric Dodge Charger R/T, leaving the 670bhp Daytona Scat Pack as the sole EV version of the new muscle car for now. Now, this back-pedalling might have claimed another victim in the form of the range-topping Charger Daytona Banshee.
Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack – front
Since the electric Charger first appeared in concept guise three years ago, the Banshee has been rumoured as an ultra high-performance electric range-topper, toting a new 800V electrical architecture and potentially up to 900bhp. The badge debuted on the concept version as a symbol of the brand’s then-nascent electric performance ambitions.
Following the Charger’s launch last year, though, demand has been far higher for the petrol-powered versions than the EVs, despite them having a 3.0-litre twin-turbo straight-six rather than the Hemi V8 many brand loyalists crave. That’s led to multiple reshufflings of production plans, including bringing forward the launch date for the petrol versions and putting the brakes on the aforementioned lower-rung electric R/T.
Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack – rear
That same lack of demand might have led to the cancellation of the Banshee, according to MoparInsiders, who cite unnamed sources within the supply chain. The reports were met with a noncommittal answer from Stellantis when the publication reached out for comment.
If these rumours are indeed true, they’ll mark yet another turnaround from what now feels like an almost entirely different company to the one it was a year ago, and though it’ll doubtless be met with praise from diehard Dodge fans, a part of us is a little disappointed we might now never witness what a 900bhp electric Charger can do.
#RangeTopping #Dodge #Charger #Banshee #Reportedly #Cancelled