Is the Dodge Banshee Mourning the Death of Internal Combustion?
Dodge just unveiled a fully-electric eMuscle car: the Charger Daytona SRT EV concept. One interesting detail of this electric coupe is its unprecedented fender badge, a screaming banshee. Does this denote the vehicles loud “Fratzonic exhaust?” Does it usher in the era of an all-new performance powertrain? Or is something deeper going on here? Is this banshee mourning the death of the internal combustion technology that propelled Dodge for the company’s first century? Here’s why that might not be as far-fetched a meaning as it first seems.
Dodge’s Charger Daytona SRT EV is the first Banshee
Last year Dodge canceled the Charger, announcing that the internal combustion sedan would only be in production through 2023. Since then it has been designing the perfect concept car to showcase its new eMuscle powertrain.
Then Stellantis unveiled an all-new electric coupe: the Charger Daytona SRT EV. This car is not only a coupe, but it features an AWD battery-electric drivetrain. It has a unique, “Fratzonic exhaust” which creates noise based on acceleration, up to the same sound level as a Hellcat. It even has an eRupt “multi-speed” transmission, complete with a retro pistol-grip shifter.
One very interesting feature of the new Charger is its completely new fender badge: the Banshee.
The Dodge Banshee badge: the Hellcat of the electric era
The Dodge Hellcat badge signaled the 707-horsepower supercharged “Hellcat” V8 across a divers line of Dodge and Stellantis vehicles. The elite Dodge Demon badge signified a 808-horsepower tune of the same engine.
The Banshee badge on the new electric Dodge Charger serves a similar purpose. It denotes Dodge’s 800-volt high performance electric drivetrain. Presumably, Stellantis will someday offer this eMuscle propulsion system across a diverse lineup of Dodge, Jeep, and Ram vehicles.
The screaming banshee represents the screaming “Fratzonic exhaust” and is in-line with the irreverent Hellcat and Demon symbols. But could it have a deeper meaning?
Banshees scream to mourn the soon-to-be dead
The Banshee is a creature from Irish folklore, often depicted as an old woman. The superstitious dread her because her wailing echoing across the countryside foreshadows the death of someone in your family.
Banshee is also the name of multiple military aircraft–like many other Dodge powertrain names. It even fits in with the evil demon product names Dodge has established. That said, there are many other demons and evil spirits Dodge could have chosen to represent its first electric powertrain.
But the Banshee comes at an interesting time. As the first eMuscle propulsion system, it also heralds the death of the internal combustion. This transition brings abundant opportunity for Dodge; innovations such as the eRupt transmission or the “Fratzonic exhaust” may increase the market share of Detroit’s dark horse. But folks at every level of Dodge are also huge fans of the muscle cars that their brand is known for. So whether intentional or not, Dodge’s screaming banshee mourns the end of an era.
Next, read how Ram’s range extender will revolutionize the electric pickup truck market or watch an extended reaction to the electric Charger Daytona SRT in the video below:
