All-new Dodge Charger Daytona R/T
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The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, once hailed as the vanguard of Dodge’s electrical muscle automobile future, is being dropped for the 2026 model year.
In line with a characterize from MoparInsiders, the Scat Pack variant will now lead the Daytona lineup, marking a foremost pivot in Stellantis’ EV approach.
First and distinguished launched with courageous ambitions, the Charger Daytona R/T changed into once designed to provide an accessible gateway into electrical performance. With its 456-horsepower dual-motor setup and optionally within the market 509-horsepower Articulate Connection stage kit, it appeared poised to excite both muscle automobile followers and EV beginners. Then again, market realities agree with painted a varied describe.
Industry and media reports highlight the core peril: patrons upright weren’t biting. No topic its spectacular specs and mawkish form cues, the R/T struggled to clarify its model mark, starting approach $60,000. At that level, patrons anticipated either more performance or more top price aspects. Without solid sales traction, Dodge made the no longer easy call to shelve the R/T variant for 2026, opting as an alternative to level of interest on trims that resonate better with prospects.
As we reported in December, the Charger EV changed into once launched with an off-beat marketing message to “place the planet from self-driving sleep pods.” The purpose changed into once to retain Dodge’s impress identification—muscle, aggression, and driver engagement—even within the electrical era. The Charger Daytona R/T changed into once speculated to be the supreme steadiness of model and performance, but it seems the target audience wasn’t ready to fabricate that leap at that model.
Importantly, this doesn’t spell the tip of the Charger Daytona altogether. Higher-performance devices admire the Scat Pack and Banshee are level-headed within the pipeline and, interestingly, are being adjusted for model competitiveness. Quite loads of trims are reportedly seeing model cuts, suggesting Stellantis is inquisitive about making these vehicles more attention-grabbing and accessible.
For enthusiasts, the takeaway is obvious: the electrical muscle automobile isn’t going wherever, but automakers are level-headed realizing the supreme plot to sell it. The demise of the R/T is less a failure and more a recalibration—proof that even the boldest plans have to close flexible within the face of particular person demand.
Prick Godt has lined global enterprise files on three continents for over 25 years.
The week in EV tech: From sky-high dreams to ground-level drama
Welcome to Digital Trends’ weekly recap of the modern expertise powering, connecting, and now driving next-gen electrical vehicles.
Buckle up, americans — this week we’re taking off with a witness on the futuristic dream of flying electrical cars perchance gliding above U.S. roads forward of you watched. Nonetheless forward of we accumulate carried away, let’s elevate it motivate down to the bumpy motorway of fresh-day realities.
Even whenever you’re largely inviting in regards to the tech powering the electrical automobile (EV) revolution, it’s develop into increasingly more arduous to lead clear of the politics around it: You guessed it, we’re talking about this week’s public feud between Tesla CEO Elon Musk and U.S. President Donald Trump.
What does this want to make with EV tech? Smartly, reasonably loads surely. For starters, the expertise within the motivate of Tesla’s Autopilot and Beefy-Self Driving (FSD) modes would possibly maybe well perchance return within the crosshairs of regulators: No topic the names, these are level-headed driver-motivate aspects that require filled with life driver supervision, and till Trump’s election, they’d been below heavy scrutiny by safety regulators for quite loads of years.
Closing year, the National Twin carriageway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) launched an investigation into 2.4 million Tesla vehicles equipped with FSD. Tall questions remain in regards to the driver-motivate diagram’s performance below damaging, but naturally-going on conditions akin to fog, sun glare, rain, and snow.
When Musk, who spent about $275 million to motivate elect Trump, changed into once appointed to movement a newly-created Department of Authorities Efficiency (DOGE), it raised bigger than a pair of eyebrows about his energy and impression over the regulators who’re speculated to supervise online page visitors safety, and therefore Tesla.
It didn’t motivate that the Trump administration followed Musk’s suggestions and relaxed smash-reporting necessities set in field since 2021, whereas furthermore stress-free solutions to speed up the deployment of totally-automatic robotaxis.
The Trump/Musk conflict takes field upright as Tesla is because of the open its robotaxi pilot progam in Texas later this month. Whereas Trump is now threatening to drag billions of bucks in authorities subsidies and contracts from Musk’s corporations, it’s unclear whether or no longer he would possibly maybe well force the Department of Transportation to again tighten the regulatory screws on Tesla. What’s obvious is that Trump has never been a fan of electrical vehicles and is already making an strive to live federal subsidies on EV purchases and leases. And whereas he had made a gargantuan deal about making an strive to search out a colorful red Tesla Model S motivate in March, Trump now says he wants to sell it.
Support to the tech
Meanwhile, Tesla is level-headed required to acknowledge to files and knowledge requests from NHTSA regarding the protection of its robotaxis by July 1. And within the discontinuance, it would reach down to the performance of the expertise.
For Autopilot and FSD, Tesla has opted for cheaper navigational tech relying on multiple onboard cameras that feed AI machine-studying devices. Nonetheless especially for therefore-known as damaging driving conditions, it’s the dearer expertise relying on a mix of pre-mapped roads, sensors, cameras, radar, and lidar (a laser-gentle radar) which has acquired the nod of regulators.
Waymo, the one real real robotaxi provider at this time running within the U.S., and Zoox, Amazon’s upcoming robotaxi provider, both consume that blend of navigational tech.
For its robotaxis, Tesla is purported to agree with upped its sport by methodology of self sustaining driving with its Hardware 4 (HW4) expertise, which does consist of radar sensors and promises enhanced environmental conception.
Will that be ample for Tesla to persuade regulators, procure up with Waymo, or compete successfully with Zoox?
We’ll want to aid and peep.
Flying cars
In a most recent model, we vital that whereas particular person self assurance about robotaxi expertise is on the upward thrust, most americans furthermore want more files forward of they hop steady into a self-driving automobile.
What about flying taxis? In line with a most recent witness by Honeywell, nearly all U.S. airline fliers, or 98%, talked about they would set in mind the usage of a so-known as electrical vertical clutch-off and touchdown automobile, or eVTOL, as phase of their trudge trudge.
Nonetheless whereas the joys around flying electrical vehicles has largely alive to on air taxis— admire Archer Aviation’s Heart of the evening, anticipated to walk athletes around the 2028 LA Olympics, or Joby’s slick air taxi, backed by Toyota — one California startup is shooting for one thing a itsy-bitsy bit more… driveable.
Meet Alef Aeronautics, a Bay Put apart of dwelling firm that wants to set the “automobile” motivate in “flying automobile.” This week, Alef launched it has acquired over 3,400 pre-orders for its electrical flying automobile, the Model A — and accumulate this: it’s no longer a futuristic prototype gathering dust in a lab. Alef says manufacturing would possibly maybe well perchance start up by the tip of 2025, or early next year.
On the ground, the Model A operates admire a low-speed electrical automobile, complete with hub motors within the wheels and—stay awake for it—an exact steerage wheel. Which you would possibly well additionally legally pressure it at up to 25 mph on public roads, parking it in a fashioned storage admire all varied EV. It’s refreshingly handbook in an increasingly more hands-free world.
Nonetheless when it be time for clutch off, the steerage wheel takes a backseat. For vertical takeoff and flight, the Model A transforms steady into a drone-admire plane. Its cabin rotates sideways to build up clutch, and eight electrical rotors—controlled by a flight diagram and joysticks—clutch over. No pedals, no yoke, upright a itsy-bitsy of joystick magic (or autopilot, whenever you like).
The Model A has already acquired the nod from regulators for test flights.
Whereas the $300,000 model mark won’t fit everybody’s funds, the firm is clearly having a bet on a future where you don’t want to fabricate a probability from a automobile and a flying machine—that you just would possibly well be ready to agree with both.
8 key assets that you just would possibly well agree with gotten to know from Apple’s WWDC 2025 tournament
From a new receive out about and up up to now names, to new aspects, more intelligence and dwell translation
The WWDC 2025 keynote ran for upright over an hour and a half of. For these of you who make no longer fancy sitting by your complete presentation, we’ve pulled out the key assets that you just would possibly well agree with gotten to know from the latest Apple tournament.
1. Welcome to the 26 club
Tesla’s robotaxi provider is type of here, but it’s no longer the automobile you need to receive out about
Tesla chief Elon Musk has talked about that the automaker is aiming to open its robotaxi provider on June 22, in Austin, Texas.
“Tentatively, June 22,” Musk talked about in a put up on X on Tuesday, adding: “We’re being mountainous paranoid about safety, so the date would possibly maybe well perchance shift.”