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Dodge's EV Gamble Falls Flat as Buyers Cling to Old Muscle

Dodge's EV Gamble Falls Flat as Buyers Cling to Old Muscle

Yahoo10-04-2025

Dodge's effort to steer its muscle car legacy into the electric age is off to a rocky start. Despite the fanfare around the new all-electric Charger Daytona, more buyers chose the outgoing gas-powered models, vehicles that have been out of production since late 2023. In Q1 2025, Dodge sold 1,947 units of the Charger Daytona EV, but it sold 1,052 internal-combustion Chargers and 922 Challengers during the same period. That's a combined 1,974 old-school muscle cars, just edging out the futuristic newcomer.
Spread across the country, sales of the Daytona EV averaged just 22 cars per day. That's a far cry from the numbers Dodge is used to seeing in the muscle segment. For comparison, Ford sold 9,377 Mustangs during the same timeframe — even while facing a 32% drop from last year. A year ago, Dodge sold over 9,700 Challengers in the first quarter. That kind of context makes the Daytona's early figures hard to celebrate.
One reason the older models are still outselling the new one: there are plenty left on lots. As of early April, 657 Chargers and 691 Challengers from the 2023 model year were still listed for sale. That's a lot of metal sitting around 15 months after the end of production. Clearly, there's still demand, but not enough to clear the backlog quickly.
Dealers are slashing prices on the Dodge Charger Daytona EV to try and spur buying. CarScoops reported that some models have seen discounts of up to $21,000 off MSRP, a rare sight for a brand-new performance vehicle. One dealership in New York listed a Scat Pack model at $61,740, down from $82,175.
These heavy discounts suggest that despite its performance credentials and bold styling, the Daytona EV is struggling to win over traditional muscle car fans. With the internal combustion version of the Charger now being fast-tracked for release, Dodge appears to be acknowledging that its core buyers may not be ready to make the jump to electric, especially not at full price.
The Charger Daytona's struggles are just part of a broader sales collapse for the Dodge brand. Total sales dropped 49% year-over-year, falling from 42,948 units in Q1 2024 to just 21,731 in Q1 2025. The Hornet compact SUV was down 45%, while the aging Durango dipped 9%. Every model in the lineup posted declines, showing that the brand's troubles go deeper than just one slow EV launch.
Dodge isn't giving up on its muscle car roots just yet. The brand plans to launch new variants of the Charger, including a four-door Daytona and models powered by a twin-turbo inline-six. These could appeal more directly to traditional buyers who aren't ready to go electric. But for now, the numbers speak volumes: Dodge's core audience isn't buying into the EV transition just yet.

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Denny Hamlin pulls out third win of year at Michigan
Denny Hamlin pulls out third win of year at Michigan

Miami Herald

time39 minutes ago

  • Miami Herald

Denny Hamlin pulls out third win of year at Michigan

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Carson Hocevar shooting for first Cup Series win in native Michigan
Carson Hocevar shooting for first Cup Series win in native Michigan

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time42 minutes ago

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Carson Hocevar shooting for first Cup Series win in native Michigan

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Tesla could lose billions in revenue as Trump administration weighs eliminating a key regulatory credit loophole
Tesla could lose billions in revenue as Trump administration weighs eliminating a key regulatory credit loophole

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Tesla could lose billions in revenue as Trump administration weighs eliminating a key regulatory credit loophole

Senate Republicans are proposing the elimination of penalties for not abiding by certain fuel efficiency standards. These penalties would render regulatory credits, an incentive for auto companies to abide by the standards, essentially useless. Tesla relies on these credits for a chunk of its revenue, racking up $2.67 billion from them in 2024. As Tesla stock sputters following CEO Elon Musk's feud with President Donald Trump, the EV maker is facing yet another threat from the administration. Republicans are doubling down on efforts to weaken carbon emission standards for the auto industry, which have provided opportunities for companies producing eco-friendly vehicles, such as Tesla, to receive and sell regulatory credits for profit. The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation proposed last week eliminating penalties for companies not meeting certain economy fuel standards set to mitigate carbon emissions. 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'If things go bad for Tesla and they don't sell enough cars this year, they might not have enough credits for what they promised Stellantis and the others,' ICCT managing director Peter Mock told Politico in March. 'Tesla is under pressure.' This story was originally featured on Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data

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