Stellantis’ U.S. performance brand Dodge is taking a big step forward on its road to an electrified future, revealing the Charger Daytona SRT concept battery-electric vehicle (BEV). The two-door concept was unveiled today at the M1 Concourse in Pontiac, MI, during the last day of the three-day Dodge Speed Week event series that featured announcements and reveals of Dodge performance products.

The brand says that the concept “muscles aside” the boring BEV paradigm and replaces it with an electrified vehicle unlike any on the road—one that drives, looks, and sounds like a Dodge. Its new propulsion system exceeds the Dodge brand’s famed SRT Hellcat engine and gets an industry-first BEV “exhaust sound.” The concept’s exterior styling incorporates Dodge heritage cues but in a more aerodynamic form.

Core to the concept are three game-changing, patent-pending features. The R-Wing is a unique aerodynamic front pass-through that mimics the classic Dodge grille. The car’s Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust is a BEV industry-first exhaust that can reach 126 dB, making it as loud as a Hellcat-powered Dodge. The eRupt multi-speed transmission enables an electromechanical shifting experience.

“Dodge is about muscle, attitude, and performance, and the brand carries that chip on its shoulder and into the BEV segment through a concept loaded with patents, innovations, and performance features that embody the electrified muscle of tomorrow,” said Tim Kuniskis, Dodge Brand CEO at Stellantis. “

The concept features a design that takes on the challenge of developing a BEV while offering nods to the brand’s muscle-car past. The car has an unexpected functional twist with a utility-vehicle-inspired hatchback design along with folding rear seats for greater utility and storage capacity than a typical muscle car.

The R-Wing design in front redefines the typical Dodge front end, maintaining the classic blunt profile of the brand while enabling better aerodynamics. It allows air to flow through the front opening and immediately over the hood for enhanced downforce too. Carbon-fiber intakes on both sides of the front and rear lower fascias provide an air curtain to assist in aerodynamic performance.

The front and rear get cross-car running lights with a center illuminated Fratzog badge, a symbol teased last year and originally featured on Dodge muscle cars from 1962 through 1976. The return of the logo is said to represent the brand’s commitment to its performance heritage but with new technology. Vertical details on the front grille echo those of the 1968 Dodge Charger.

The headlights are partially hidden underneath the R-Wing and integrated into the aerodynamic surface. The 21-in wheels with a turbine-like design continue the aerodynamic efficiencies and house grey six-piston brakes.

Like the Charger Daytona racecar that was the first vehicle to break 200 mph (322 km/h) on a NASCAR track in 1970, the Charger Daytona SRT concept is focused on performance—but now with an 800-V Banshee electric propulsion system, brushed aluminum “screaming” Banshee fender badges announcing it. The standard all-wheel-drive system is key to pushing beyond Hellcat performance while also improving all-weather capability.

Unlike typical BEVs, the concept’s eRupt multi-speed transmission with electromechanical shifting delivers distinctive shift points. A PowerShot push-to-pass feature, activated by a button on the steering wheel, lets the drivers pick from modes like Auto, Sport, Track, and Drag. This changes the driving dynamics, instrument cluster information, HUD content, performance sound, and interior lighting features of the vehicle.

“But we’re also developing nine power levels,” said Kuniskis. “All of those power levels will come standard with our exclusive PowerShot push-to-pass system.”

In addition, there will be other subscription-like services enabled by connectivity.

“Direct Connection is also going to allow our drivers to unlock the features that they want, like a slam mode, drift mode, drag mode, and even a donut mode,” Kuniskis added.

The industry-first Fratzonic Chambered Exhaust pushes a performance sound through an amplifier and tuning chamber at the rear of the vehicle, creating a “Dark Matter” sound profile experience in coordination with the eRupt transmission.

The concept’s cockpit is designed to immerse passengers in a sensory experience through performance sounds, lighting features, and vehicle displays—and a panoramic glass roof for an open-air feel.

The modern, lightweight, driver-centric cockpit features a slim instrument panel with blue and silver accent stitching feature a “waterline” that extends across the car and onto multiple interior surfaces such as the console, doors, and seats. Info is displayed on a 16-in curved digital instrument cluster; a 12.3-in center screen, the largest in a Dodge vehicle, angled nearly ten degrees toward the driver; and an 8 x 3 in head-up display.

A parametric texture provides a connection to the exterior by continuing the inspiration of the 1968 Charger grille on the inside. It spans from the IP to the doors, beneath the front console, and the rear armrests and console. Ambient Attitude Adjustment Lighting illuminates the texture from below.

Circuit-like graphics are used on the carbon-fiber floor, center console, and IP. Carbon fiber is a common theme, the material also being used for the door sills, which feature illuminated white Daytona lettering, and the rear “tub” floor and hatch.

Other interesting interior design details include a jet-fighter-inspired cap that flips up to engage the start button. The pistol-grip shifter is inspired by the past but with modern execution. The slim seats are lightweight, race-inspired, and have an insert that features an abstract pattern of the Fratzog logo.

The steering wheel features paddle shifters with the PowerShot button on the right and drive-mode controls on the left. Like the doors, the steering wheel features capacitive touch controls.