The Copperhead will act as a halo model for both Dodge and the rejuvenated SRT performance division, pairing dramatic styling with plenty of power. After lying mostly dormant for years, Stellantis' SRT performance brand is roaring back to full strength via a slew of sporty new models planned across the automotive giant's American brands.
The Copperhead will lend Dodge and SRT more performance legitimacy as a more track-focused machine than the most potent versions of the current Charger, which, while powerful, are also large and heavy and not the most fleet of foot. The Copperhead will instead utilize a slightly smaller footprint and more advanced technology to take Dodge's performance credentials to new heights, which will be key for maintaining the brand's reputation as rivals Ford and Chevy continue to crank out even more extreme versions of their sports cars.
View Price on AmazonWhile Dodge has yet to publicly show the Copperhead, we got a glimpse of a full-scale model of the sports car during Stellantis' Investor Day event earlier this year. Although it looked vaguely related to the current Charger, at least in the roofline, Stellantis' head of American brands Tim Kuniskis has since stated that it is not based on the Charger. On The Drive's podcast, Kuniskis said, "you couldn't get a Charger with those proportions and that stance because of the multi-energy design of where the battery is encapsulated in the bottom of the car," referring to the STLA Large platform that underpins the Charger in both gas and EV forms.
Kuniskis wouldn't confirm the platform, but he did reveal that "there are some synergies built into that car," since "SRT only works if SRT can take sunken investments from around the globe and leverage those." He continued, "So there's stuff in that car that are production-intent in other things that we'll leverage very heavily." That makes us wonder if the Copperhead may end up being related to the Maserati GranTurismo, which rides on a version of the Giorgio platform.
The Copperhead will wear aggressive styling, with a blacked-out front end covered in vents. The hood isn't quite as lengthy as that of a Viper, but it has a unique design that combines the R-wing seen on the Charger Daytona EV—essentially a hole cut out between the headlights that serves as an S-duct, directing air over the hood—with the traditional hood scoop seen on past Charger Hellcats. Aerodynamics appear to play a big role on the Copperhead, with a significant front splitter, vents for brake cooling behind the front wheels, and a large rear wing that looks like a slightly downsized version of the appendage found on the old Viper ACR.
Source: caranddriver.com
