The saga of late-model Dodge Chargers has taken an interesting turn. No, no official announcement of the Hemi returning to the portfolio, but the Charger EV is on a death knell of sorts thanks to President Trump’s tariffs.
Unless you’re an absolute Dodge-head, it’s difficult to keep track with Dodge’s marketing for the redesigned Charger. There are two primary Charger models: the first is the Charger Daytona, the EV variant that has been part of the initial roll-out. Within the Daytona are the Daytona R/T and the Charger Daytona Scat Pack, with the latter offering 174 more horsepower for a total of 670. Both are currently only available as an all-wheel drive two-door coupe. A four-door is supposed to reach dealerships shortly.
Also due sometime in 2025 is the SixPack—this is the one for the Dodge purist, as it is powered by an ICE powerplant. Though past Six Packs (note the difference in spelling) have suggested three two-barrel carburetors, the modern definition means that a vehicle is equipped with a “Hurricane” twin-turbo inline-six in one of two flavors: a four-door with 420 horsepower, and a high-output two-door with 550 horsepower.
However, Dodge CEO Matt McAlear tells Car and Driver that “production of the Dodge Charger Daytona R/T is postponed for the 2026 model year as we continue to assess the effects of U.S. tariff policies.” This is due to the Dodge Charger Daytona being built in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Sure, it’s just a short bridge or tunnel jaunt from the Motor City, but crossing the border will subject the vehicle to a 25 percent tariff.
As such, Dodge says the EV-powered Charger Daytona will be reduced to just the Scat Pack for 2026, with the R/T being postponed. Blame the tariffs? Considering only 1,947 Charger Daytonas were sold in the first quarter of 2025, no one would consider it an auspicious start. Additionally, the Daytona four-door will be delayed until the 2026 model year.
Also confirmed is the delay of the Charger SixPack, now slated for the second half of 2025. Two trim levels will be available out of the gate: GT and Outlaw, and we bet the standard-output version will be the former, with the high-output version being the latter. No word whether it will debut as a 2025 or 2026 model.
