The electric Dodge Charger is still around the corner, but the automaker is reportedly stepping up the gas version’s arrival date.
Ever since Dodge officially killed off the Hemi-powered Challenger and Charger models, folks have been…well, less than enthusiastic about the new EV, on the whole. The company seems to be listening, according to a report from Mopar Insiders, with plans supposedly underway to effectively the gas variant’s arrival up to early summer 2025. Dodge’s latest plans had been to launch the 3.0-liter ‘Hurricane’-powered model in late 2025.
Now, it’s worth noting that sources MI cites in its own piece are anonymous, as they typically are so folks can speak candidly about these developments. Especially since Dodge has been shifting dates around for the Charger lineup generally, as well, it’s worth taking this latest nugget of information with a grain of salt. Nevertheless, the possible rationale behind accelerating the gas Charger’s launch date is a simple and plausible one: That’s what people actually want.
Zooming out a little bit, Stellantis as a whole has been through a turbulent few months. Outside of the Dodge brand, the company is in the midst of layoffs and has yet to actually some of its much-hyped EVs out the door to customers, like the Jeep Wagoneer S. That model is supposed to ship this fall, but so was the new Dodge Charger Daytona, at least in First Edition form. With how the development process has shaken out, it sounds like we’ll now see the electric Charger land at dealers at about the same time as its gas-powered counterpart — unless the company runs into more roadblocks actually shipping them out from the Windsor, Ontario assembly plant.
Is getting it out faster really the issue, though?
For the moment, Dodge has made no updated official comment on the 2025 Dodge Charger Sixpack’s arrival, or the Daytona for that matter. We do know that, when it does arrive, the Sixpack will sport two versions of Stellantis’ latest 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged engine. Standard-output (S.O.) versions will pack 420 horsepower, while high-output (H.O.) models could crank out as much as 550 horsepower.
Those numbers put the gasoline Charger at parity or above the old Charger R/T and Scat Pack models, at least on paper. Nevertheless, in a world where conventional muscle cars are falling off the map — just look at the now-defunct Challenger and the Chevy Camaro as cases in point — will the timing of the Sixpack’s arrival matter all that much?
Again, it’s a question worth raising. While I do think it’s a smart idea for Dodge to get an ICE version to market for their own bottom line, at least a few are already effectively writing off this new Charger altogether because an I-6, even with more than 500 horsepower on tap, is not a V-8. To wit, Ford is the only Big Three automaker keeping an eight-cylinder option on the menu with the latest S650 Mustang, supposedly until it’s no longer legally allowed to sell them.
As ever, we’re just keeping our ears to the ground until Dodge confirms either version of the new Charger is 100% ready and on its way to dealers. If you’re not ready to take the EV plunge (and plenty certainly aren’t), at least this may be welcome news for you to grab a Sixpack in just a few months, rather than closer to a full year from now.
Sadly, we haven’t even seen the Sixpack yet, let alone driven it, so our coverage below focuses on the electric Charger Daytona:
