The Banshee That Won’t Roar
The Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee was set to be the headline act in Dodge’s transition to electrification. Positioned as the spiritual successor to the supercharged SRT Hellcat, the Banshee carried expectations of outrageous power and presence, only this time through an 800-volt electric platform. It was meant to be the model that reassured muscle car fans that Dodge could deliver shock and awe without pistons or gasoline.
According to a supplier source quoted by Mopar Insiders, that vision has now been shelved. The much-anticipated halo car for Dodge’s electric future is reportedly not happening, leaving a gap in the automaker’s lineup plans.
Stellantis Pulling Back on EV Strategy
The report indicates that Stellantis, Dodge’s parent company, has been pulling back on electrification across its American brands. This comes after weak sales of the standard 400-volt Charger Daytona EV and a cooling market for battery-powered performance cars. The Banshee, expected to sit at the top of the lineup with a six-figure price tag, was increasingly difficult to justify. Mopar Insiders’ supplier sources claim the project was canceled before reaching production.
This isn’t an isolated case. Stellantis has already ended development of the Ram 1500 REV, which was intended to rival Ford’s electric Lightning, and Jeep has dropped its Gladiator 4xe plug-in hybrid program. Earlier this year, Stellantis surprised many by reinstating the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 in the 2026 Ram 1500 and confirming that the Dodge Durango would continue with V8 power. Jeep has also committed to the Wrangler Rubicon 392 and hinted at a Gladiator version.
Banshee Out, Hellcat In?
The reported demise of the Banshee suggests a pivot away from a fully electric strategy and back toward combustion performance. Dodge is already rolling out the new Charger with its Hurricane six-cylinder powerplants, branded as SIXPACK models, and the possibility of a V8 option remains a subject of speculation. This raises a question: could the next-generation Charger see the return of something akin to the SRT Hellcat, but with updated hardware? Stellantis has not provided a definitive answer.
We have reached out to Stellantis for comment and will update this story when more information becomes available. For now, the Banshee remains another bold EV project that may never reach showrooms, while the future of Dodge performance looks increasingly tied to combustion engines rather than battery packs.
