The arrival of the all-new, S650-generation Ford Mustang is a historic occasion for a number of reasons, including the fact that the latest version of the iconic pony car is still sold without a single electrification option. While an EV Mustang seems inevitable at some point (not taking into account the Mustang Mach-E), Ford has said that a hybrid is actually more realistic, and noted that it plans to offer V8 power in that model as long as it possibly can. Meanwhile, the Chevy Camaro is going away – at least temporarily – and facing an uncertain future, and to this point, that was expected to be the case with the Dodge Challenger and Charger, too, as those models were seemingly destined to become EVs. However, a new report from The Drive indicates that the Ford Mustang may not be the last ICE-powered model of its kind, after all.
Back in 2022, Dodge announced that it was making the move to all-electric power across its entire lineup, a revelation that was accompanied by the debut of the all-electric Charger Daytona SRT concept, seen here. In recent weeks, however, leaked photos of what is purported to be a next-generation Charger or Challenger with a transmission tunnel surfaced online, leading many to wonder – did Dodge have a change of heart?
Now, that seems to be precisely the case, as a source has informed The Drive that the next-gen Charger will in fact be sold not only with electric power, but also, the relatively new, twin-turbocharged 3.0L I-6 Hurricane engine. “They’re keeping gasoline engines. The official designation for the vehicle platform is LB and it will have the new GME-T6 Hurricane inline-six in RWD and AWD,” the source said. “It will be using the Stellantis Gen 4 transmission that’s also rolling out to Mack Assembly, Jefferson North Assembly, and Toledo North.”
It’s unclear how much power the Hurricane engine will make in the next-gen Charger, though currently, it produces 420 horsepower and 468 pound-feet of torque in base form and 510 hp and 500 pound-feet in high-output guise. This is particularly interesting not only because those figures are competitive with the Ford Mustang, but also, because Dodge has been quite adamant that it’s ditching ICE altogether – though now, that doesn’t seem to be the case at all.
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Comments
Wow! Today is the best automotive news day in YEARS! Keep em coming. I’d still like to see a V8 in the Charger though. Even a basic 5.7L HEMI hybrid would be great.
Hemi is dead since Stellantis didn’t have much use for it outside of the Dodge and Ram brands and since the hemi dominated their product mix they also didn’t have a lot to offset the engine’s emissions and CAFE numbers like Ford and GM.
Leaked photos of the “Body in White” clearly show the Challenger has a conventional RWD transmission tunnel through the firewall and floor pan, you definitely don’t need that in an EV only product.
Stellantis outright confirmed that the new platform fits the I6, which means it fits the hemi V8.
This modular approach to EVs gives them the best position for the future.
Yep! And gm screwed themselves.
I don’t see how an I6 will fit that hood profile much less a V8. Maybe they’re ditching the huge air scoop.
Best news of the day along with a solid new SOTH.
It’s not a muscle car if it has less than 8 cylinders I don’t care how much power it makes.
Agreed. I’m hanging onto my 22 RAM Longhorn w/ 5.7L Hemi and my 21 Mach 1. I’m not against EV’s and may buy an SUV EV at some point, but not giving up my ICE truck or ICE Sports / Muscle car!
More obsolete production. The combustion engine is very old and actually needs electricity to run. So just use electricity directly and run cleaner. Real muscles run with electricity from the nerves.
ICE still has a place since the grid is still woefully inadequate for the needs of a majority EV vehicle mix and batteries still aren’t as energy dense as gas and diesel and that matters for things like light and medium-duty trucks when they are towing and hauling since they don’t have the size to carry a battery pack that will offset the reduced range and need to be charged. At the very least an EV truck used for towing and hauling needs to be able to go 8 hours on a single charge with reasonable range since even fast charging can take 10 to 15 minutes at a time.
And your undesirable and inconvenient electric vehicles run on coal, diesel, and natural gas combustion! Remember that!
LOL Ford Owner! If your profile is real, you live in Puerto Rico, where less than 4% of your electricity comes from renewable resources and most of your electricity is generated from oil and natural gas. So, even your EV would be oil/ng powered.
I would think given how small it is and the location, Puerto Rico would actually be a great place for solar and hydro elec generation.
It may be a muscle car–and a six really would have enough power or Porsche wouldn’t use them–but it’s not a pony car unless it’s two doors. The Mustang established that in 1964. Unless there is a two-door Charger or a revived Challenger, Ford and Chevy have the corral to themselves.
I’ve beat many a V8 with my super charged V6. So there is a replacement for displacement, it’s called technology.
Not really put the same thing on the V8 it will smoke your V6 and sound better doing it.
Automakers, notably the Big Three, are suddenly walking back on their EV fantasy because they are realizing that nobody is buying any of them. They are producing more than they are selling and will bankrupt themselves if they continue down this path. Ford, in particular, recently admitted that they are overstocked on EVs and are taking losses on every EV they don’t sell. Not a good strategy. Like their competitors, they will need to correct course more sooner than later. They can start by getting rid of Farley.
I am glad they are keeping Challenger and ICE….but having all these turbocharged complicated engines…they have the same unreliality as Fords Ecoboost….problems after problems….when v8 was simplier..more reliable
The thing that must be addressed, is infrastructure. The current power grid could not even handle 1/2 of the current ICE Vehicles being replaced with EVs. Not to mention EVs are not suitable for everyone due to lack of charging stations in rural areas. Much work must be done BEFORE we can really move forward. The auto makers know this. If your EV is stuck because there is no place to charge it, you probably will reconsider your choice. Do get me started on old EVs with very expensive faulty battery arrays on used car lots in 10 years. Most ready to scrap due to the cost of replacement……..