Dodge to Discontinue Entry-Level Electric Charger
Turns out one of America’s quintessential muscle cars (and a treasured punchline for teens and high-interest splurges) is incompatible with the electric revolution. Well, mostly – Dodge just announced it’d be discontinuing the entry-level Electric Charger Daytona R/T for the 2026 model year, leaving the Charger Daytona Scat Pack as the sole EV option.
Officially, Dodge blamed current events, with a spokesperson saying that “Production of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of U.S. tariff policies.”
And in theory, that holds water.
President Trump initiated a 25% tariff on imported vehicles and parts, casting a wide net across the entire automotive market, and the fiscal impact is very real. One group estimated that imported vehicles would rise by an average of $6,000, while vehicles assembled in the U.S. would go up by $3,600, in addition to separate $300-500 hikes owing to steel and aluminum tariffs.
But I think a far simpler factor is at play – sales.
After the electric Dodge Charger Daytona R/T came out in 2024, overall Charger sales dipped by a full 54% that same year, and 2025 hasn’t been much better, with less than 2,000 EVs sold in the first quarter.
The high-performance Scat Pack and gas-powered options are still selling respectably, so they’re remaining, and at the very least, poor sales of the entry-level R/T play an equal role as the tariffs in Dodge’s partial EV retreat.
