I Found Why Dodge Is Offering 0% APR on the Charger Daytona EV As Its Strategy Reveals a Painful Truth

Dodge has announced 0% APR for 72 months on the all-electric 2025 Dodge Charger. It’s a strategy as bold as it is revealing, hinting at just how challenging the transition to electrification has been for a brand synonymous with tire-shredding muscle cars. 

While other automakers have embraced electrification with clarity, Dodge’s latest gambit feels like a loud, desperate plea to old-school loyalists and a soft apology to the eco-conscious crowd. This financing deal is a window into the existential crisis facing Dodge as it hurtles toward an electric future.

Retro Styling and With Modern Limitations

The Charger EV, with its slick retro styling and aggressive performance claims, seems engineered to appease everyone and satisfy no one. Dodge has touted the car as a "muscle car first," but the illusion quickly dissipates under scrutiny. Weighing in at nearly 6,000 pounds, the Charger EV sacrifices agility for heft, trading its V8 rumble for the synthetic growl of the

"Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust." 

It’s a sound that enthusiasts have compared to an angry robot vacuum.

For a brand built on the visceral magic of big-displacement engines, this digital homage to its past feels like an awkward karaoke performance in Japan, well-intentioned, but it hurts the ears.

Electric Dodge Charger Performance Highlights

• The Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack features twin 335-horsepower electric motors, delivering a combined 670 horsepower and 627 lb-ft of instant torque. This setup enables rapid acceleration and a thrilling driving experience. 
• Equipped with a mechanical limited-slip differential in the rear motor, the Charger Daytona Scat Pack minimizes wheel slip during high-powered launches, ensuring optimal traction and handling. 
• To replicate the visceral sound of traditional muscle cars, the Charger Daytona incorporates the Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust system, producing up to 126 decibels of simulated exhaust noise, enhancing the sensory driving experience. 

Dodge's approach stands in stark contrast to Hyundai's successful foray into EV performance with the Ioniq 5 N. The Ioniq 5 N demonstrates that EVs can deliver driving excitement without overpromising or pandering. Fake gear shifts, clever sound design, and razor-sharp handling remind us that personality and precision matter just as much as speed. 

Meanwhile, Dodge’s EV feels more like a branding exercise, nostalgia slathered onto a slab of batteries. In a head-to-head comparison, Hyundai comes across as the fresh, innovative talent redefining what it means to have fun in an electric car. Dodge, on the other hand, feels like the aging rock star struggling to find its footing in a world that’s moved on from its greatest hits.

Dodge Charger EV Financing: Bold Offers and Underlying Challenges

The aggressive financing deal Dodge is dangling speaks volumes about the Charger EV’s challenges. A 0% APR over six years is essentially a siren song to customers who might otherwise balk at the $60,000-plus sticker price of a Scat Pack trim. 

Dodge hopes the sweetened financing will shift focus away from the compromises, enticing buyers who might otherwise be tempted by more practical, better-engineered alternatives. But as tempting as it is to focus on low monthly payments, it’s hard to ignore the larger message, Dodge knows the Charger EV can’t sell.

Hyundai Ioniq 5 N: Performance, Technology, and Design Innovations

• The Hyundai Ioniq 5 N boasts a dual-motor, all-wheel-drive configuration that produces 601 horsepower. Engaging the N Grin Boost feature temporarily increases output to 641 horsepower, allowing the vehicle to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in approximately 3.25 seconds. 
• N e-Shift and N Active Sound+ Technologies: To enhance driving engagement, the Ioniq 5 N features N e-Shift, simulating the feel of an 8-speed dual-clutch transmission, and N Active Sound+, which provides engine sound simulations through internal and external speakers, offering a dynamic and immersive driving experience. 
• The Ioniq 5 N is equipped with 21-inch forged wheels paired with 275/35R21 high-performance tires, a distinctive N mask graphic fascia with functional elements for improved cooling and aerodynamics, and a 12.3-inch touchscreen display with high-performance N pages and settings, all contributing to its sporty aesthetic and performance-oriented functionality.

More troubling, however, is the broader implication of Dodge’s EV. Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, has been systematically dismantling its enthusiast-first legacy. Gone are the days of raw, unapologetic machines like the Viper ACR, a car so brutal it made no concessions to comfort or efficiency. In its place is a lineup that feels like it’s been designed by accountants rather than engineers. 

Automotive Industry in Transition: The Impact of Electrification on Legacy Brands

But it’s not just Dodge feeling the strain of this transition. The auto industry as a whole is navigating a precarious moment, where regulatory pressures and shifting consumer preferences demand rapid adaptation. The Charger EV, for all its faults, is emblematic of the growing pains of a legacy brand trying to stay relevant in an electric era. 

Its financing scheme may attract buyers weary of soaring interest rates, but it risks alienating the purists who’ve stood by Dodge through thick and thin. 

The Future of Muscle Cars: Balancing Innovation with Heritage in the EV Era

That’s the double-edged sword of change: innovate too little, and you stagnate; innovate too much, and you lose your identity. The Charger EV could succeed as a product, its performance is impressive on paper, and its styling is undeniably striking. But as a symbol of what Dodge once was and what it’s trying to become, it’s a bittersweet compromise. For buyers enticed by low-interest financing, it may be a good deal. 

For muscle car purists, it’s a sobering reminder that in the relentless drive toward progress, something valuable often gets left behind. What do you think about the Charger EV? Leave a comment down below with your thoughts!

Noah Washington is an automotive journalist based in Atlanta, Georgia. He enjoys covering the latest news in the automotive industry and conducting reviews on the latest cars. He has been in the automotive industry since 15 years old and has been featured in prominent automotive news sites. You can reach him on X and LinkedIn for tips and to follow his automotive coverage.