Dodge is giving the people what they want. And what they want isn’t electric.
The gas-powered Charger Sixpack is now slated for early summer 2025 – a full five months ahead of schedule. Dodge originally planned to lead with their electric Daytona models before reluctantly trickling out the combustion versions.
Market reality hit them like a sledgehammer.
Sixpack Brings the Heat When EVs Left Them Cold
The Hurricane twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six powering these new Chargers delivers more grunt than the outgoing V8s ever did. Numbers don’t lie:
- Standard output: 420 horsepower with enough torque to embarrass the old 5.7L Hemi
- High output: 550 horsepower that makes the previous 6.4L look positively asthmatic
Every Sixpack comes with an 8-speed automatic and all-wheel drive, with rear-drive mode available for when you need to vaporize rubber.
Dodge hasn’t confirmed trim names, but insiders point to GT for the standard output and Outlaw for the high-output version. Fitting.
Politics and Demand Accelerate the Timeline
The shifting political winds blew favorably for internal combustion. A new administration means relaxed emissions targets, and Dodge smelled opportunity.
Consumer appetite for traditional muscle hasn’t waned either. Dealers report overwhelming interest in gas-powered variants while EV enthusiasm remains tepid at best.
Electric Dreams Downsized
The Charger Daytona EV isn’t dead – just diminished.
For 2026, Dodge is cutting the lineup to just the top-tier Scat Pack EV, eliminating the less powerful variants nobody was asking for. The four-door electric Charger will still arrive in early 2025 alongside the coupe.
Canadian production of the EVs adds another wrinkle: a 25% tariff that complicates pricing and availability.
Dodge’s pivot proves what enthusiasts have been saying all along. Electric performance is impressive on paper, but the market still craves the visceral experience of internal combustion.
The Hurricane six isn’t just a placeholder – it’s a performance powerhouse that outmuscles the V8s it replaces while meeting modern efficiency standards.
Sometimes the market speaks louder than the marketers. Dodge finally listened.
