• Dodge is introducing an updated version of the electronic exhaust sound used for the Charger Daytona concept.
• The Fratzonic system offers an initial sound that sounds a bit like a combustion engine.
• The Charger Daytona concept is set to replace the Charger and Challenger, which are in their final year in 2023.
If there's one brand across the industry that has been fueled by emotion over the past few decades, and especially over the past 15 years, it's Dodge. But with electrification becoming a reality, the company is in danger of losing its identity.
It’s a challenge the company has been working hard to meet. And one of the elements that’s essential to the emotion delivered by a Dodge vehicle is the sound of its engine. With an electric motor, you have to rely on electronics for that. Attempts so far have been met with a lukewarm response, at best.
Six months ago, when the company introduced its Charger Daytona Banshee concept, which will replace the Charger sedan and Challenger coupe, both departing after this year, we were given a sneak peek at what the electronic exhaust system might sound like in a future Dodge model.
Reaction to it was… meh. The Fratzonic system fell on deaf ears, so to speak.
It seems the company did not have deaf ears. It has just introduced an updated version of the sound it wants to include with the new electric muscle car. It was demonstrated in a garage at the recent Chicago Auto Show. As you can hear in the video, now we’re getting somewhere.
It doesn't reproduce the sound we know, but it comes close. The vibrations add realism.
Note that the Fratzonic exhaust system isn't just made up of external speakers. Rather, it takes the form of a pipe organ using air through tuned chambers to produce noise. The final sound is the result of combined information received such as throttle position and speed. It's also powerful, with a volume of up to 126 decibels, like the exhaust of a Hellcat-powered model.
Since the production version of the concept has yet to be unveiled and the model is only due in 2024, we can expect more tweaks.
What we can hear is encouraging. Moreover, brands like Lamborghini and Ferrari are looking for solutions as well. With all those heads being put together…
Ça ne reproduit pas le son que l’on connaît, mais ça s’en approche. Les vibrations ajoutent du réalisme.
Rappelons que le système d’échappement Fratzonic n’est pas seulement composé de haut-parleurs externes. Il prend plutôt la forme d’un orgue à tuyaux utilisant l’air à travers des chambres accordées pour produire du bruit. Le son final est le résultat d’informations combinées reçues comme la position de l’accélérateur et la vitesse. Il est également puissant, avec un volume pouvant atteindre 126 décibels, comme l’échappement d’un modèle équipé d’un moteur Hellcat.
Puisque la version de production de ce concept n’a pas encore été dévoilée et que le modèle est attendu pour 2024, on peut imaginer que d’autres améliorations seront apportées.
Ce qu’on peut entendre est encourageant. D’ailleurs, des marques comme Lamborghini et Ferrari souhaitent trouver des solutions probantes. On finira bien par trouver la bonne formule…