August 8.
That is when Dodge drops the veil on the new beast. It’s happening at Roadkill Nights in Pontiac. The city where they built the Grand Prix. Fitting, right?
For its 60th anniversary, the Charger gets a gift. Not a V8. Not this time. It gets a souped-up inline-six. The current Scat Pack churns out 550 horses from its twin-turbo 3.0L Hurricane. This new version? Dodge says it will be the most powerful Sixpack yet. Expect it to inch closer to 600. Maybe touch it.
Muscle car guys are crying about the death of the Hemi. They miss the 5.7L and the 6.2L supercharged Hellcat. I get it. V8s sound like trouble. But the math doesn’t work on the current platform. Tim Kuniskis laid it out plainly for MotorTrend. You can’t just swap a smaller naturally aspirated Hemi into this bay—it’ll be weaker. If you want the Hellcat, you’re staring down an engineering mountain. Frame changes. Mounting issues. It’s a headache.
So they doubled down on the six-cylinder. And honestly? Look at the competition.
The Ford Mustang Dark Horse makes 500 horses with its V8. The new six-pack already beats that. It trails the supercharged Dark Horse SC (795 hp) and the carbon-ceramic GTD (815 hp). Those are exotic track weapons. For a daily driver that smells like gas and aggression, the 3.0L twin-turbo is punching above its weight.
Dodge CEO Matt McAlear won’t kill the V8 dream completely. He leaves the door ajar. “Vague comments” is the corporate speak. Translation: don’t hold your breath, but don’t stop hoping.
For now, we wait.
“The most powerful Charger Sixpack yet.”
Will it hit the 670-hp mark set by the electric Charger Daytona? Unlikely. Electric torque is a different beast entirely. But 600 horses? That’s a number that stops traffic. That’s a number that makes you check your side mirrors twice.
We won’t know for sure until the lights dim in Michigan.
Why the Six-Pack is Now Stronger Than the Competition
Why push an inline-six to its breaking point instead of bringing back the legendary V8? It’s not just about emissions regulations or cost savings, though those exist. It’s about practical power density. The twin-turbo setup offers a powerband that a naturally aspirated V8 just can’t replicate without spinning at impossible RPMs.
The standard Mustang GT makes 480 horses. The Camaro ZL1 (before it vanished) needed a supercharger to compete with the base Hellcat. Today, the Charger Sixpack sits in a weird spot. It has more power than most V8 offerings from rival brands. The 2024 Mustang Mach 1 is gone. The new Dark Horse is 500. Dodge is already there.
If you add another 50 horses, you are no longer arguing with V8 owners. You’re mocking them.
Where and When You’ll See the 2025 Dodge Charger Six-Pack Update
Dodge is throwing a tour. Not a launch event. A tour. They’re hitting the Petersen Automotive Museum. Woodward Avenue. The NHRA Great Lakes Nationals.
The climax is Roadkill Nights. August 8, 2024. Pontiac, Michigan.
This isn’t a trickle. It’s a celebration of sixty years of rear-wheel-drive muscle. They’re putting the new car in the dirt and on the tarmac where it matters. No glass cases. Just noise.
You’re probably asking, is it worth the wait?
If you like straight-six torque that hits your neck early in the rev range, yes. The current Hurricane engine is good. The upgraded one will be aggressive. It might not sound like an exhaust pipe full of gravel like a Hellcat. It will sound sharper. Tighter.
V8 loyalists can keep their opinions. The data is shifting.
“We last saw a Charger equipped with V-8 in 203, and Dodge still employs the Durango.”
The V8 lives in the SUV. The car goes six-cylinder. Maybe that’s fine. Maybe 600 horses is enough to shut everyone up for a few months.
Then they’ll ask for more. They always do.
