Confirmed: The Next-Gen Dodge Charger Will Come With an Internal Combustion Engine Too

The Charger Daytona SRT concept car, unveiled last year, scared most petrolheads out there. It was an electric concept car that pretty much stated that Dodge was done with building ICE-powered muscle cars.

But then the carmaker faced backlash from those who deified the Charger and the Challenger. Rumors of a Hurricane engine replacing the almighty HEMI V8 sparked, without Dodge ever confirming the info. Until now.

So the show ain't over! A source connected to a supplier with firsthand information of Dodge’s production plans confirmed for The Drive that the next-generation Charger will offer an electric variant as well as a gas-powered version.

The latter will come, as previously rumored, by the 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged inline-six Hurricane engine that made its debut with the 2023 Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer. Under the hood of the two, the power plant generates 420 horsepower (426 PS) and 468 lb-ft (634 Nm) of torque in base guise or 510 horsepower (517 PS) and 500 lb-ft (678 Nm) for the high-output variant.

Both versions should be mirrored by the Dodge Charger lineup, considering that the Mustang has both the GT, rated at 460 horsepower (466 PS) and 420 lb-ft (570 Nm), and the Dark Horse, with 500 horsepower (507 PS) and 418 lb-ft (567 Nm) of torque. But the Mustang is set in motion by the 5.0-liter V8 Coyote engine.

The source reveals that the model will be underpinned by a platform that will be officially called LB that withstands both rear-wheel and all-wheel drive. The ICE will be linked to the new Stellantis Gen 4 gearbox, which is manufactured at the Mack Assembly, Jefferson North Assembly, and Toledo North. No sign of a manual in the lineup, though.

Dodge is phasing out the HEMI V8 before at the end of 2023. But with Chevrolet turning the Camaro into an EV, the Ford Mustang would remain the only ICE-powered muscle car on the American market, something that Dodge apparently cannot allow.

Both the ICE and the electric Dodge Charger versions will roll off the assembly line of the Windsor Assembly plant in Canada, same as the Chrysler Pacifica. Retooling has already restarted at the production center, as reported by The Drive.

Dodge has not come up with a concept car that would preview the future Challenger, though. So, the future of this muscle car might be in doubt. The Charger Daytona SRT EV concept car looks like a coupe with a very sedan-ish roofline. So we are yet to see if the future Charger is going to cover up for both.