The upcoming all-electric Dodge Charger is causing more controversy than almost any other car in the recent past. The style-defining Hemi V8 is gone and, as if that wasn't enough, a fake "Fratzonic" exhaust sound has also been implanted, which has so far anything but convinced the internet. That could perhaps change now.
The latest version of the fake sound, which was released this week, has the potential to change the minds of some fans after all. On Monday, the car manufacturer published a video on Instagram in which the current state of the Frantzonic Exhaust can be heard. We see and hear a Charger Daytona EV speeding through a tunnel and making noises that sound very much like a good old V8.
The sound is a far cry from what Dodge offered us when the Charger debuted in 2022. At the time, it was met with a veritable shitstorm. In 2023, the Americans changed the sound and built something that sounded like a real engine. It sounded better, but couldn't really convince potential customers either.
Now they've taken a big step forward and have a sound that almost sounds like a real V8, but the internet still has serious reservations: "Lol we want real V8 noises ... not speakers," reads one comment. "We still want HEMIs," says another. And one commenter writes: "I'd rather have no car than one of these."
Of course, the question arises as to whether an electric car has to sound like something it's not, come hell or high water. Abarth has tried it with its 500e with an exterior loudspeaker that is supposed to sound like a combustion engine 595. The result is rather embarrassing, as if the petrol engine had got stuck in second gear. It gets on your nerves after a very short time and you quickly switch off the fake sound.
Dodge seems to have had a similar experience. They have admitted that they have been struggling with the Fratzonic exhaust since the car was first presented to the public. "We've changed it 100 times, CEO Tim Kuniskis told reporters in March. The system uses speakers placed inside an exhaust-like chamber to simulate the sound of a real exhaust.
Gallery: 2025 Dodge Charger
Judging by the public reaction to all the simulated exhaust speaker kerfuffle, it quickly becomes clear that the majority don't care whether an electric car sounds like a combustion car or not. Even if the Charger Daytona EV sounded exactly like a Hellcat, most people wouldn't be convinced, simply because they know it's not real.
Almost a bit like an M emblem on a BMW 320i. The people who pay any attention at all know it's been cheated. We are very curious to see how the issue will develop.
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