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REPORT: Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Is DEAD!

REPORT: Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee Is DEAD!​

Supplier Sources Tell Us, Dodge's Upcoming Performance SRT Electric Car Is Axed​


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Stellantis has been moving fast, and this time, it’s not toward full electrification.

In a series of surprising moves over the past six months, Stellantis has reversed course on what once seemed like an inevitable march toward an all-electric future. The 5.7-liter HEMI® V8 has made a thunderous return to the 2026 Ram 1500 lineup, the Dodge Durango will be offered exclusively with HEMI power in the U.S. for 2026, and Jeep® not only confirmed the continuation of the 6.4-liter HEMI V8-powered Wrangler Rubicon 392 but also teased that a Gladiator variant is in development. It’s a stark contrast to the company’s earlier strategy, which aimed to replace nearly every engine with a battery pack.

 
Saw that coming a mile away. There was no way they would continue to throw good money after bad. I'd bet dollars to donuts those funds have been directed to be a hellcat / demon redux on the new Charger.
 
This most certainly has not been a surprise. Would have been truly shocking had it come.

Now, let’s get a V8 in Charger, and a proper V8-powered Challenger. Hopefully one more…ahem “retro” (truly hate to use that) looking. Like, previous Challenger, shrunk a bit
 
I prefer to use the term heritage over retro. Even in colleges with an engineering focus they tend to pass out the Marxist Kool-Aid. One of the tenets of Marxism is to erase any connection to the past or, "Newer is truer." The Hornet failed because someone failed to recognize the brand heritage. That heritage is more than badges, trim and decals.

The Banshee was going to be a soulless appliance with as many Dodge trinkets as the could possibly add on. Internal combustion engines breathe, just like an animal. It's something an EV can't match, even with fake sounds. Taking the battery electric vehicles through the car wash in cold weather really pointed out to me how lifeless EVs can be. All the petrol fueled cars exiting the carwash would have some heat from the engine and steam would rise off the hood.
 
Charger Daytona Banshee is dead, long live the Charger SRT Hemi Banshee !
Not a reach on that thought.
 
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Maybe we’ll finally see the stillborn Banshee 7.0 HEMI.

The good thing is that this platform is flexible and can accommodate battery, inline6 and V8.
So Dodge can bank now on the current administration and sell as much as V8, where it’s legal, and Hurricane in the other states. Then, if the next administration pushes again for EV, Dodge should be ready.
 
Maybe we’ll finally see the stillborn Banshee 7.0 HEMI.

The good thing is that this platform is flexible and can accommodate battery, inline6 and V8.
So Dodge can bank now on the current administration and sell as much as V8, where it’s legal, and Hurricane in the other states. Then, if the next administration pushes again for EV, Dodge should be ready.
I’m betting we are very likely looking at JD Vance to add eight years to that policy.
 
Maybe we’ll finally see the stillborn Banshee 7.0 HEMI.

The good thing is that this platform is flexible and can accommodate battery, inline6 and V8.
So Dodge can bank now on the current administration and sell as much as V8, where it’s legal, and Hurricane in the other states. Then, if the next administration pushes again for EV, Dodge should be ready.
Flexibility is fine but not if its the reason why the car is so unnecessarily heavy in ICE format. Being too heavy was a big reason why the cars never hit critical mass pre-2015. I am sure everyone remembers.
 
Regarding this way over weight and over sized at vehicle 5835 lb in EV trim remember it's built on a STLA truck platform to handle the 1000 lb battery weight. Now take out that battery and add a iron block Hemi, trans, diff and rear suspension, what will the new weight be ? I'm guessing 5200-5500 lb? What say you ?
That said I say this whole screw up model has to go !
 
I think terminating the Banshee project may be a good idea overall seeing that the Daytona wasn't received very well. Not saying that the Daytona is a bad car, because it's not. The car was truly half baked and rushed to market in extremely bad timing. Personally I don't want to see the Daytona go away completely being that I like the idea of it being around and also I think it's going to be even more amazing if/when they put the 3-speed gearbox in it, along with the ERUPT system and the new battery technology with lighter, more powerful solid-state batteries and that new charging technology. Especially if the Charging time situation improves. Now I get it, that car isn't for everyone, but that's Dodge and that's what (to me) makes this brand so wonderful. Honestly, even if the HP doesn't increase alot, the current Daytona, with less weight, a better gear box and more range with all the bugs finally worked out would be the best EV performance vehicle on the market. Maybe not the most powerful, but definitely the most fun.

I want to point out something to everyone that is being gung-ho about the return of the Hemi V8. Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the freedoms of choice still remain in this world but CARB is still very much alive and thriving. That monster isn't dead and honestly, it's not going anywhere. As we look at the situation we have here, there are a lot of CARB states where nothing larger than a 5.7L Hemi is going to be available. As of now, that works in the Durango and the Ram (waiting to see what this street performance Ram 1500 truck is going to be like on Monday 8/6/25), but where does the 5.7L Hemi V8 fit in the lineup with the Charger? Even as a GT, how affordable/practical would it be and what would a car like that really compete with as a V8? No one out there has a sub 400hp V8 in a "performance" car anymore so the 5.7L Hemi would literally be outclassed and outgunned by even alot of turbo-4 cars so that doesn't make sense. From a business standpoint, that's not good. Unless the 5.7L Hemi gets a blower and a hybrid transmission to shoot it past the 550hp in terms of power, it doesn't make sense to have a 5.7L Charger, not to mention the fact that it would be astronomically priced. Now, I do think we're going to see higher-horsepower versions down the line with the Hurricane-6 both full ICE and hybrid, especially in the CARB states and yeah, Dodge may sneak in a high horsepower V8 car for the non-carb states as a low-volume option, but that's about all I see when it comes to the V8 for a large portion of the North American market.

Something else with the Charger that we've discussed before here is the missing entry level car, like a Charger GT. Honestly a mild hybrid 2.7L turbocharged 4-cylinder with a 90-degree crossplane crankshaft would be a great idea. If anyone here knows what a Yamaha R1 motorcycle is, you'll understand why I mentioned the crossplane crank. All car Inline-4 engines have a flat plane crank, a Crossplane crank 4-cylinder sounds very similar to a V8. GM makes a 2.7L turbo-4 that makes 310hp and 430lb-ft of torque, If Stellantis could make a 2.7L crossplane crank with similar numbers and then you add a 4th Gen Mild hybrid EVO powertrain that can add about 40hp and 184lb-ft of torque, that's still a 350hp powertrain making 614lb-ft of torque. Add a few Direct Connection upgrades or a GLH package to a car that has that kind of power and sound and most people won't be upset at all.
 
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