With the 2024 Dodge Charger having finally been previewed, driving enthusiasts have been arguing about whether the all-new model is an improvement from the original or a grotesque misstep. While it looks similar to its predecessor, Stellantis opted to abandon V8 powertrains for a turbocharged I6 or 400-volt electric architecture. The car has also fully embraced all-wheel drive at the expense of rear-drive variants. Considering the above, it should be no shocker that the brand likewise snubbed manual transmissions — with Dodge having just confirmed the decision.
The whole point of the new Charger was to modernize a vehicle that some would argue was stuck in the past and resting on its laurels. However, that mindset ushered also in the kind of changes that resulted in something you can’t really call a true muscle car anymore. While all-wheel drive and optional electric motors should give the new Dodge a performance advantage over the outgoing model, it’s a very different recipe from what Mopar fans are accustomed to.
Manual transmissions aren’t necessarily synonymous with muscle cars or even something Dodge’s fans seriously care about. But they do harken back to a time when vehicle controls were more mechanical and forced a level of driver engagement that’s largely absent today. Despite the Dodge Challenger sporadically offering manual options on select trims, they were so incredibly rare on the Charger that any example you spotted with a stick shift was almost guaranteed to be an aftermarket project vehicle.
With the design of the new Charger being heavily informed by both models, both past and present, it seemed plausible (albeit improbable) that Dodge would offer a manual variant. No such luck. The manufacturer recently confirmed with The Drive that it has “no plans for a manual transmission.” While that doesn’t rule out the possibility of future examples with a stick, they’re likely to be extremely limited in production and scooped up by collectors that plan on flipping the vehicle at auction years down the road and that’s assuming Stellantis bothers producing them at all.
For now, every version of the 2024 Dodge Charger that utilizes the 3.0-liter Hurricane for propulsion will come with an eight-speed automatic. Our guess is that the decision probably isn’t going to be a major factor in terms of sales volume. As enjoyable as it can be to run through gears yourself, the practice tends to be limited to hardcore driving enthusiasts who likely aren’t planning to use the vehicle as their daily driver. Exceptions certainly apply. But Stellantis isn’t going to expend the kind of R&D dollars necessary just to appease a subset of the fandom that may not even have plans to order the new model after it just dumped loads of cash to electrify the darn thing. One gamble at a time, please.
Production of the electrified 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona Scat Pack and 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona R/T are supposed to commence this summer. However, the four-door Daytona Scat Pack and R/T models, gas-powered two-door Dodge Charger Sixpack H.O. and four-door Dodge Charger Sixpack S.O. aren’t scheduled to begin assembly until early in 2025. The Dodge Charger Banshee EV is likewise poised to arrive sometime next year. However, that model is supposed to receive a “two-speed” transmission for some added flair and an improved top speed — as it will be the fastest and most expensive version of the vehicle by far.
[Images: Stellantis]
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