The electric version of the new Dodge Charger fails one of the most basic muscle-car tests: It can’t do a burnout. It’s not available with a line lock feature, and whether it would ever get one was initially as opaque as a cloud of tire smoke. Dodge has stepped in to set the record straight.
Brand CEO Matt McAlear said that the line lock is “still something we’re focused on for the SRT variant that’ll come out in ’26,” according to Motor1. That’s all we know so far about the SRT, though it’s reasonable to assume that the nameplate will be accompanied by a big bump in power.
Looking back, that’s how Dodge once marketed the line lock. Rewind to the 2018 model year, when Dodge offered 16 variants (!) of the Challenger. At that time, the only one available with a line lock was the SRT Demon—even the Hellcat didn’t get it. That changed the very next year, with the feature expanding down to Scat Pack models. And today, even the EcoBoost-powered Ford Mustang comes standard with an electronic line lock.
Beyond the launch of an SRT variant, it’s too early to tell what’s next for the Charger because it’s so new. McAlear said that enthusiasts should look in the rear-view mirror to get an idea of where the nameplate is going. The last-generation Charger and its coupe counterpart, the Challenger, spawned numerous variants during their long production run. Some of our favorites, including the mighty Hellcat, weren’t available at launch. While that doesn’t mean that the current Charger will stay in production for over a decade, it’s a sign that the best is very much yet to come.
We know that the range will grow soon (sooner than expected, actually) with the launch of a gasoline-burning model called Sixpack. The name alludes to the engine: it’s the familiar 3.0-liter twin-turbocharged Hurricane straight-six that’s already available in several Jeep models, and it’s rated at 420 horsepower in its most basic state of tune. The more expensive high-output variant will put 550 horses under the driver’s right foot.
Dodge won’t reveal whether a V8 fits in the new Charger, but McAlear surprisingly didn’t rule out an eight-cylinder-powered model.
“Is V8 a bad word? No. We’re not telling anybody to fall out of love with the V8. Have we announced anything? No, but we’re just getting started.”
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