The new Dodge Charger Daytona EV is struggling to find a footing with enthusiasts, what with the old, discontinued Charger and Challenger outselling it over the first quarter of the year, and Stellantis putting generous sums of money on the hood for the few buyers willing to take the plunge. And it may get harder, not easier, to sell the electric muscle car in the near term, given that some customers are no doubt waiting for the inline-six powered model and the oft-rumored return of the Hemi. Nevertheless, Dodge is still doing all it can to move those cars, like trotting out an “interactive” web experience that feels like a promotional CD-ROM from 25 years ago.
Visit DodgeChargerPortal.com right now, and the first thing you’ll be faced with is a loading bar, followed by an engine start button to click, and then another loading bar. Once through those, you’ll see what we’re working with here: Dodge has made a virtual showroom of sorts where you can learn about the new Charger EV. There’s Garrett, our host who’s been poorly isolated in front of a green screen; a blurry JPG of a Charger that can be rotated by click-dragging, and a room to pan around in.
Of course, if you’ve browsed an automaker’s online configurator at any time over the past 15 years, much of this won’t be new—which is precisely why Dodge’s effort here is so odd. On my PC, it presented in a postage-stamp-sized window like a Sega CD game. And there’s loading after literally everything. Want to get a “deep dive” on charging? Loading bar. How about a look around the interior? More loading. Interested in taking a peek at different factory wheel options? Loading and, also, the rims you select don’t apply to the car you’re actually configuring.
My PlayStation 5 can generate the entire Nürburgring Nordschleife and a field of 20 cars in Gran Turismo 7 in the blink of an eye; why, in this world of fiber-optic internet and HTML5, does this “portal” run like a Macromedia Flash point-and-click adventure from two decades ago?
Mobile users should at least have a smoother time; there, the website takes up the whole screen and can be navigated by moving and tilting your device around, like a virtual reality app. But the loading situation is equally as agonizingly slow no matter what screen you’re on. Anyone who’s seeking out information on a Charger Daytona would be served better by Dodge’s regular site, not these blurry graphics and voiceovers that cut themselves off mid-sentence.
Then there’s the videos section, where you can watch a pair of ads for the Charger that have been on YouTube for many months. One, titled “Save the Planet,” begins like any generic corporate pledge about building EVs to affect positive environmental change. Naturally, it’s only about 20 seconds before Dodge pulls the rug out from under the viewer, which might be surprising if that wasn’t the brand’s M.O. throughout the whole confused Charger EV marketing saga. The joke here is on anyone at all concerned about climate change, or their kids’ well-being. Go off, Dodge—you don’t need their money. Waging the war against woke has worked so well for your bottom line lately, anyway.
For what it’s worth, the site does appear to be hiding one teaser. Pan to the right of the “home page” and you’ll notice a Charger shrouded by a cover, with a blurry logo scrawled on a nearby wall. Forum members over at MoparInsiders speculated that it’s the insignia of a new Barracuda model, and it does sort of look like an angry fish, provided you can squint through the awful resolution. There have been rumors for years that the ‘Cuda name is making a comeback in some shape or form, and this hint would appear to throw fuel on the fire.
In any case, the Dodge Charger Portal exists for anyone who wants to explore 2025’s most controversial EV in the most 2003 way imaginable. Dodge will reportedly make more noise about this virtual experience this week in tandem with the start of the New York Auto Show, and if you visit any dealers in the coming months, you may see QR codes around the showroom that link to the site too, according to Automotive News.