What occurred with the base model Dodge Charger Daytona EV?

      Dodge

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      This week, there has been significant news from the Mopar community regarding the 2026 Dodge Charger. The new Scat Pack is powered by a twin-turbo inline six, and a V8 Hemi is anticipated to follow, while affordable gas models have been discontinued. But what about the entry-level Daytona Charger EV? Dodge's CEO attributes its absence to tariffs, which is understandable, but I believe a larger issue is that there is little demand for it.

      Dodge has introduced the new electric Charger in two trim levels: a base R/T starting at approximately $62,000 and the higher-performance Scat Pack, beginning around $76,000. After a few production years, the R/T was discontinued and will notably be missing for 2026. The car's delay (not a cancellation—it may return) was confirmed in May.

      This week, in conjunction with the launch of the new Charger Six Pack, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear refuted the notion of low demand for the lower-priced Charger EV and essentially attributed its discontinuation to tariffs. In a media roundtable, which included our own Byron Hurd, he stated:

      "[The reason] you don’t see an R/T for the 2026 model year on the Daytona EV has nothing to do with sales. There was a misunderstanding that we discontinued it due to low sales. Absolutely not. It’s simply adapting to a tariff landscape, and where we need to go to maintain profitability in an ever-changing environment, particularly with the $7,500 central package credit decreasing in September."

      As for when the Daytona EV might make a comeback, the future remains uncertain.

      "As soon as the tariffs stabilize and we can increase our production capacity, we are launching many vehicles right now at Windsor,” McAlear mentioned. “We’re still manufacturing the Pacifica; now we have two-door and four-door Daytonas. We’re introducing high outputs … in both formats. So as we enhance that production and the tariff situation stabilizes, we will aim to increase production. Believe me, we want to employ as many people as we can and produce as many vehicles as possible.”

      My interpretation is that he’s indicating tariffs have made the car economically unfeasible. Which, indeed, if you have a decent vehicle priced too high, sales won't be strong. However, the demand for the Daytona EV appears to be quite weak currently, even below its initial list price.

      I just checked AutoTrader and discovered 1,681 Daytona EVs advertised for sale nationwide under $60,000. A large number of them are brand new or have minimal delivery mileage. The reality is, if these were selling well, we wouldn’t be witnessing $14,000 discounts on vehicles with zero miles.

      Autotrader screenshot from August 8, 2025. AutoTrader

      Considering the current market and regulatory conditions, I sincerely doubt that Dodge is in a hurry to produce more of these cars. The Charger Daytona R/T may be “postponed” for 2026, but its chances of coming back look quite bleak to me.

      Are you driving a Dodge Charger Daytona R/T? I’d love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to me at [email protected].