2024 Dodge Charger Daytona, Design Boss's favorite car influenced by the '68 Charger.
Dodge has profited much by mining the past for designs for modern cars; the 2008 Challenger successfully mimicked the 1970 Challenger, allowing Dodge to sell it for 15 years without a design refresh.
And now, Dodge's next car, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona, due out this summer, will be inspired by the 1968 Charger's design. The retro-modern muscle car replaces another car, this time offering both gas and electric powertrains.
Why the 1968 Charger? Let's look at Sterantis Chief Design Officer Ralph Gires' favorite 1960s muscle car and the personal car he built based on that love.
"When you talk to Mopar enthusiasts, the Challenger is beloved, but the '68 Charger is the quintessential Mopar," Gilles told Motor Authority.
In 2019, Gilles worked with SpeedKore, a Wisconsin restoration mod store, to create a personalized Pro Touring-style carbon fiber-bodied, Herefant-powered 1968 Dodge Charger called "Hellucination." began to be built. At the same time, Dodge was working on the Banshee concept that would become the Charger Daytona.
"When we started the EV, the Banshee Concept project, we literally had a '68 in the studio. We took one out of our historical collection and parked it in the studio," Jill said. [There were] a lot of millennials in the studio, and when I brought the '68 in, it stopped them in their tracks. I kept my project very private, so no one knew I was working on Hellucination at the time," he continued.
Were we right? Did Jill's personal vehicle influence future products? We sharply asked Jill if working on the Hellucination had put her in the mindset to make the next generation of cars a '68 throwback.
"Yes, it has. And I love it," he replied.
But Jill did not paint her own interpretation of the '68 Charger. He explained, "Other than bringing the '68 in and parking it in the studio, it [the Helsinnation] didn't influence the younger designers."
Jill feels that the Charger Daytona is the right car for the electric car age. He said, "People who don't know Mopars will think it's a really cool, modern, very unique electric car. People who love Mopars are like, 'Oh my God.' They get it. If you're a Mopar fan, it's going to tug at your heartstrings. It's like comfort food. If you drive an electric car, this will make you happy."
The design chief also describes the Charger Daytona as practical.
"I think the secret sauce is that there is no penalty. It checks a lot of boxes. It's functional. It's efficient. Hopefully it's attractive. It has presence. It has personality. And it has space. It's a hatchback with fold-down seats and CUV-type functionality. Incredible efficiency, great range, great performance, great handling."
We'll find out how practical and functional the Charger Daytona is, and how well it performs, when we drive it later this year. Until then, the influence from the '68 Charger's design is undeniable. If you're going to let personal taste and legendary muscle cars influence your company's design, you can't go wrong with good taste.
