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Rumors abound that Dodge will resurrect the revered Challenger nameplate now that the pressure for the company to build EVs has eased. Shortly after Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was forced out, the company announced that the HEMI engine was being brought back and the timeline for the gas-powered 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona was being moved up. Fans wonder if a HEMI-powered Challenger can already be in the pipeline?
The Last Dodge Challengers
Dodge announced that the Challengers with huge HEMI engines were being phased out after the 2023 model year. The last version of the 2023 Challenger was the incredible 2023 Challenger SRT Demon 170. It was the most powerful street legal muscle car ever mass-produced, with a staggering 1,025 horsepower and 945 lb.-ft. of torque. It was announced as the final “Last Call’ special-edition Challenger and Charger model.
Dodge made customers buying the Challenger SRT Demon sign letters acknowledging that the Challenger SRT Demon was powerful and potentially dangerous in the wrong hands. The buyer also had to acknowledge that the vehicle required special parts and was expensive to fix.
What We Know About the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona Timeline
The brilliantly orange 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV was one of the stars of the recent Denver Auto Show. Dodge representatives would not discuss possible timelines for the rollout of gas-powered models.
As I reported at the end of March,
“Dodge is scrambling to boost sales after a tough 2024. The brand’s first BEV, the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona EV, is having a hard time cracking the muscle car market. Dodge is known for big engines and high horsepower and fans want to see the gas-powered muscle car roar back into production.
2025 Dodge Charger Gas-Powered Versions Moving Ahead
Dodge is reportedly pulling production of the new gas-powered HURRICANE Inline 6 Charger version up to as soon as this May. Stellantis Chairman, John Elkann, told Italpassion "We'll launch the right models, with the right engines, at the right time".
Elkann did not address the HEMI engine specifically but admitted that the company is changing its plans for the changing market demands, especially in North America.
“We focused on product launches, adjusting plans to ensure that the right models, with the right powertrains, arrive at the right time. [...] we're reintroducing classic American models, including a Jeep Cherokee-sized SUV and the gas-powered Dodge Charger, and we're suspending the launch of the all-electric Ram truck to better align our offering with current market demands in North America.”
The First Gas-Powered 2025 Dodge Charger Models
The all-new Dodge Charger SIXPACK H.O. is powered by the 3.0L Twin Turbo Hurricane High Output engine. It is expected to produce 550-horsepower, which is impressive. However, the Dodge Durango that still carries the HEMI Hellcat, the most powerful gas engine has 710-horsepower. You can see why muscle car fans are thrilled even though the Hurricane engine has better fuel mileage and puts up respectable statistics.
The EV versions are rated as 670-horsepower for the Daytona Scat Pack and 496-horsepower for the Daytona R/T. Both have all-wheel-drive capability.
Insiders Have Seen the Gas-Powered Charger Daytona
A friend of mine in Detroit, who needs to remain anonymous, has seen the gas-powered Charger. He saw the one with the Hurricane High Output Inline-6 and said it is very nice. A corporate engineer who is familiar with the program told him that they are working as fast as they can to get it to market. The corporate engineer told him they are trying to retool and get the HEMI version out by the end of the year.
What That Means for a Possible Dodge Challenger
The Dodge Charger Daytona is being built on the STLA Large platform which also underpins the Jeep Wagoneer S. The STLA platforms are designed to support both EV and ICE technology. Since the Charger and Challengers coexisted in the past, it makes sense that Dodge would bring the super high- performance model back to boost profits. Let me know what you think. Is the demand there to support both the Charger and Challenger models?
Dodge Photo
Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.
Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.
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Comments
What pressure was there to…
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What pressure was there to build EVs?
They never once considered listening to their actual customers.
You reap what you sow. The damage to the brand is probably permanent.
Agreed.
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In reply to What pressure was there to… by Nate (not verified)
Agreed.
Yes i would love to see the…
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Yes i would love to see the challenger come back as it was no futuristic stuff. Its a beautiful that was the only muscle car that actually best ressembled the original challengers, which was why i bought one. I think it was a HUGE mistake on Dodge's part discontinuing it. And now Chevy has introduced a more powerful production car then the demon 170 on pump gas. Dodge needs to step up and reintroduce the challenger if they want any hopes of competing with Chevy and not lose even more sales then they already have.
There are three reasons why…
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There are three reasons why people might think the challenger is coming back. Reason one is the fact that in the 3D thing Dodge had with upcoming vehicles and potential projects, we could see that there was a Viper on a lift, and right beside it was a vehicle under a covert, which was too blurry to see. But, it did kind of look like the front end of a challenger, or at least an updated one. The second reason is that people have been throwing news in the internet that they have seen dodge challengers on the roads with dodge manufacturer plates. there is also images of this as well. I personally looked at the images, and it did have the described plates and maybe my eyes were weird at the time, or I saw an updated tail light design. But of course, there is always the third reason. That reason is people are just dumb in thinking that the unannounced 'cuda is actually the challenger.