According to Irish folklore, a Banshee is a female spirit whose wailing warns of an impending death. At Dodge, there’s a taste of irony as the Charger Daytona SRT Banshee is rumored to be no more.
Talk with a veteran from Chrysler and (s)he may still have a bad taste of German in his/her mouth. While the Hellcat may have been the mouthwash Auburn Hills needed, that bad taste—this time, Italian with a hint of multinational—has been tough to shake off. The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee may be the physical manifestation of why.
The Chrysler Corporation . . . er, Stellantis North America’s portfolio was quite long in the tooth when the 300, Challenger, and the previous-gen Charger were discontinued for 2024. However, from a branding point of view, all was forgotten because V8 Mopars spelled fun. Cultural aspects from the past—bright colors and nods to long-dead models—were mined to good effect, while the quest for horsepower was achieved to absurd levels. If there ever was a moment to refer to “’Murica” without an ounce of sarcasm, It was in the form of an SRT Dodge.
And then, strangely, Stellantis ditched the Challenger and the Hemi Charger, plus all the positive equity for the brand. Truth be told, many manufacturers were moving towards electric architectures, if not turbocharged engines missing two cylinders. Considering Chrysler and Dodge’s parent is European, this should not have been a surprise.
Yet with the pendulum arcing back, many manufacturers that have made investments in electrification have backed off. This has been problematic for Dodge’s current crop of EV Chargers because they haven’t been selling, and the rollout of turbo-six Chargers has been slow, so we can’t say if and how the American public has warmed up to them. But if we know Americans, then there will be no substitute for a V8.
The Charger Daytona SRT Banshee was supposed to be the EV version of the Hellcat, so to speak, with an 800-volt architecture—up 200 volts from the standard Charger Daytona—and around 1000 horsepower. Alas, it doesn’t appear that we will see this Charger in showrooms. Car and Driver says a representative from Dodge has not confirmed the story.
As the Godfather of the Hellcat, Tim Kuniskis, has played a part in the revival of SRT, we would love to hear his take. Considering the 5.7-liter Hemi is returning to the Ram 1500, and the 6.4-liter Hemi-powered Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 has inspired a similar Jeep Gladiator, we can only wonder what Dodge has in store for American enthusiasts.
