Dodge is the face of American Muscle but it may lose that title among enthusiasts
Well, this is a very sad development. For so many years now, the American automaker, Dodge, has been the face of American muscle. Now, I may not be an expert on this but it seems to be common sense that the core of Muscle is big, loud, gas-guzzling engines. In line with this, the brand may lose its title soon.
Why is this? Well, it seems that electrification has caught up with Dodge and while the manufacturer famous for making V8-powered Dodge Challengers that manage to accelerate faster than electric vehicles (EVs), the Demon and Demon 170, is ready to abandon its ‘Hemi’ V8 engine in favour of the infamous electric motor.
Moreover, Dodge is trying to mitigate fan backlash by promising that the new Charger Banshee EV (yes, they are calling it that and there is a good reason which I will explain later) will be not only as good as but better than a Hellcat. It is rumoured to have 807hp from an 800-volt system and a 2-speed transmission.
Well, as a fan of American muscle myself, I am skeptical but then again, holding out hope for the survival of petrol vehicles is hopeless these days as more and more brands are going all-electric. While other American brands like Ford are keeping their ‘Coyote’ V8 “for as long as they can,” apparently Dodge doesn’t wish to do the same.
On top of that, I wonder how Americans will react to this news because if the American muscle community at large no longer have the Dodge Challenger as the benchmark muscle car will they still argue that the Ford Mustang GT is “just a pony car” or will they be forced to elevate it to muscle car status because of the Banshee?
The Dodge Charger Banshee (some call it the Charger Daytona EV) is named the way it is because despite being an EV, it will reportedly come with speakers on the outer rear end of the car that will pump out the famous Hellcat supercharged V8 sound complete with the supercharger whine. Does the name make sense now?
While in terms of looks, the Banshee looks as good as any Dodge Challenger, the fully electric powertrain will definitely be a hard pill to swallow, especially among more traditional enthusiasts. Also the fake scream of the car tying in with mythology (it is said if you hear a Banshee’s wail, your end is near) may only make things worse.
