EVs are cars that run on electricity instead of gasoline. They use batteries to power an electric motor, making them quieter and often better for the environment.
Internal combustion engines are the engines that most cars have used for a long time. They work by burning fuel to create power, which makes the car move.
A multi-energy platform is a type of car design that can use different kinds of engines, like electric or gasoline. It helps car makers build different models more easily and efficiently.
The drive line is the system in a car that helps transfer power from the engine to the wheels. It includes parts like the transmission and driveshaft, which help the car move forward.
EV means electric vehicle, which is a car that runs on electricity instead of gas. These cars are usually better for the environment and can save money on fuel.
The Dodge Daytona is a car that has a strong performance reputation, similar to classic muscle cars but with an electric version that offers modern technology and efficiency.
Muscle cars are powerful American cars that are built for speed and performance. They often have big engines and a sporty look, making them popular among car enthusiasts.
Electrification means using electricity to power cars instead of gasoline. It's a trend where cars are being made to run on batteries, which can be better for the environment.
LED lights are special lights that are very bright and use less energy than regular lights. They last a long time and are often used in cars for things like headlights and taillights.
Car
Dodge Hurricane
The Dodge Hurricane is a type of engine that has six cylinders, which helps it produce a lot of power. It's designed to be better than older engines.
Twin turbochargers are two devices that help an engine get more air, which means it can produce more power. This helps the car go faster and perform better at different speeds.
A lower displacement version means the engine is smaller, which usually means it has less power. This can help save on gas and reduce pollution, but the car might not be as fast.
Launch control helps cars start faster by controlling how much power goes to the wheels. It makes sure the car doesn't spin out when you accelerate quickly from a stop.
The suspension is what helps the car ride smoothly over bumps and turns. It keeps the wheels in contact with the road for better control.
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Lauren Fix and Javier Mota.
Most people who love these cars want to talk to you.
Because you're responsible for the biggest change in the lineup.
I do respect the fact that Dutch squeezed the last drop of the last generation.
Charger and Charger.
For how long? Almost 20 years?
Yes.
That's amazing.
It was just incredible.
And not only very successful cars, but every version you came up with was obviously better.
Tell us a little bit about that. Were you working on those cars too?
I did for a little bit at the end.
And then they asked me to take over the next generation.
So I got a little bit of a flavor of the old before it came out to the new.
Which I guess was very important for you.
Because I mean, again, like an iconic car, very legendary.
With a lot of passionate fans.
And then you, Dutch came out with the decision, the business decision, a strategic decision,
to come out with a completely new platform, which can accommodate EVs and ICs.
So tell us about how was that process?
Because I think it's not like something that started last week.
It was like four or five years ago, right?
It's a very complicated process to come up with this new platform, right?
Yes.
And the company itself was trying to look future forward to see how do we balance all the things.
Electrification was coming, but we still have the love of engines and internal combustion engines.
So it's been almost four years.
And since all of this is now finally becoming reality, where we're sharing the engines and the Bev.
But it was all, my team actually, we sat down for quite a while about the multi-energy platform.
And we talked about how do you do this?
How do you bolt up a battery pack?
And then how do you put in an engine and a transmission and a drive line so that you have everything that you want?
And it was a significant design process for us to get to that point.
So this platform, again, can accommodate obviously this EV, which is a four door.
Yes.
And also the charger.
Yes.
There's a two door, but the four door charger is coming two later, right?
Yeah.
So in this platform, you can do everything.
Yes.
And that must be, I guess, a lot easier in a way because you have something that is very versatile,
but also a challenge to come up with what will be the replacement for the car that, again,
for like 20, 25 years, at least that last generation, were so popular.
So what were the challenges besides the people's opinion?
Well, you know, you look at the history and Dodge established, I call them the four pillars.
Yeah.
It has to look, drive, sound.
Oh, the golden rules, somebody people call it too.
Yes, the golden rules.
I call them the four pillars, but yes.
But each, the team, what we had to do is basically spend time.
We looked at what the old models accomplished, and then we broke down each one of those golden
rules to make sure that the next generation had every one of those boxes checked.
Yeah.
And if we could, we wanted to beat the outgoing model.
Yeah.
So but still there's going to be people who are one against EVs in general.
I mean, no matter what brand.
So part of your challenge is also that to convince those people who are like against
change and modern technology.
So what will be your argument for those people?
How will you tell those people that they should try it at least, give it a try?
You know, electrified vehicles for the most part.
Art.
I have a different sense about them.
You get into the car and you have no center console.
It's very open, flat floors, and it's just a different type of a car.
This vehicle, when you sit in it, you don't know if it's an electrified car.
Yeah, this is the Daytona.
Yeah.
But it looks the same as our gas version because we wanted to feel like a true muscle car.
So I think anyone who really wants to naysay electrification, I think you've really just
got to give it a try because I think this vehicle itself, you sit into it, you feel like
you're in a muscle car and the performance of the electrified vehicle is just outstanding.
And that's probably the most challenging thing because it's, I mean, difficult to get everybody
into cars, especially like these brand new ones.
And if they don't have experience in it, what they read online or what they hear from other
people or their own experiences in other electric cars that are not muscle cars are different.
And so going back to the pillars, right?
Like this is really a dodge that happens to be electric.
Absolutely.
It's a muscle car, true and true.
So this car is over 600 horsepower, the electric one.
Yes.
I mean, for the price also, it's really affordable.
670 horsepower.
I know.
Amazing.
And now let's talk about the 6-pack because that's the newest thing.
And this one debuted a year ago.
Oh, actually, I'm going to tell you a little story because last year when we were in Phoenix,
during the event, we took out one of the cars, a white car, a white outside color.
We were driving that and we see an old child in charge here.
White also.
Basically, if you were a policeman, we pulled him into a parking lot and we made him sit
in the car here and all that.
And I don't know if we convinced him completely.
We didn't let him drive it, of course, because he was not allowed.
But I think, I mean, again, people looking into the car, sitting in it, like hearing
it.
So like, they have to do that before they give their opinion out.
I agree a thousand percent.
Yeah.
Yeah.
You have to be open to it.
But I will tell you that this Daytona, when I drove it for almost a year, I never have
been stopped more by people.
I mean, the design is beautiful.
I mean, that's not part of your responsibility, but I mean, it's part of the whole team as
a company.
But yeah, the design is fantastic.
I mean, and the old ones are what they are now, the classics now, but this is a very modern
like LED lights all over the place and all that.
Yes.
In this case, the grille is different from the other one, but also like giving homage
to the old cars.
So now to the hurricane, which is a six cylinder car, five hundred and fifty to begin with,
right?
Yes.
And so tell us the advantages of that.
Like why is the hurricane better than the heavy?
Well, so if you if you look at the outgoing model, we have 65 more horsepower.
You have more torque.
You have more everything than we had with that six four scat pack charger when we used
that in twenty three.
So we regardless of whether it starts with a V or if it starts with an I, if you look
at what that engine delivers, it truly is a great engine.
Amazing performance.
The twin turbo chargers give you an amazing amount of power at all sorts of RPM ranges.
So you always have it available.
And I mean, how can you argue when a muscle car gives you a zero to sixty three point
nine seconds?
I know.
Yeah.
But I guess people are what they are.
And they like, I mean, with all due respect to some of my colleagues on the way in from
the air to the from the hotel to this presentation, there was some people talking about the whole
twenty five minutes about how great the heavy was.
And again, they haven't driven this one.
And I hope they're convinced the other one is now.
But but but that's the point.
I mean, I guess like this is the eighth generation charger.
I think.
Yes, I think so.
So, I mean, in the very beginning, there were V8's that deliver what, one hundred and seventy
five horsepower.
So this is an improvement.
People have to give it a try.
You know, I think somebody always changes hard.
Yeah, changes hard.
People were upset when we put a manual in the car.
People are upset when we did a four door originally.
So you know, time changes, things change.
And I think you have to be open to that.
And I every person that says V8's are the only way I would say, just give the car a drive
and then you can tell me that.
So tell us about the whole process of developing this car for for the future, because now we
have this and what's coming up next.
What you can talk about.
I think already a lower horsepower version of it for now.
Yeah.
So we were right now showing the six pack with the two door in the first quarter.
We're going to have the four door version of that.
And we also have the SO, which will be the lower displacement version of it.
And that's about 120 less horsepower, which still is a lot compared to cars from 30 years
ago.
So but that'll be coming into and four doors and it's going to have very similar content.
All wheel drive standard.
So it's going to be a really nice car for a slightly lower base price.
And I think it's going to attract a lot more customers.
So can you explain a little bit your role, your chief engineer?
So you have a huge team.
That's another thing that I think most people oversee because like they don't really think
about all the work that takes to to do these these modern vehicles, right?
How big is the team?
How many countries?
How how spread out is or?
Oh, I don't know the total number.
No, we but we have people in quite a few different countries.
We do a lot of work in Canada because the vehicle is built in Canada.
But we do have with people in multiple different countries.
The the scope of this truly is a large group because this covered every part of the car.
Every part of the car was new, right?
So every area, body, chassis, interior, the designs, the sourcing and then getting it
into production and testing.
So it was a pretty big team.
My responsibility is total program, everything from timing, cost, design, execution and all of it.
So I am the one who gets called on the carpet.
If there's anything that goes wrong.
So over the past five, four or five years, you haven't had too much free time, my best,
because I mean, this is a huge, huge undertaking to to create a new car.
Right? It's been a little busy for the last four years.
Yeah, and now you're super proud of the final product.
I'm sure I'm ecstatic.
Yeah, I'm ecstatic.
I've been driving them now for a year and a half and I am super proud of the team.
I'm super proud of the car and I can't wait for people to start buying them.
And I guess that that's the message like people who still think that like the other
older versions of this car was better.
They have to give it a try.
I mean, they have to like, again, numbers don't lie.
I mean, if you have how many?
Sixty five more horsepower or whatever it is.
Yes, I mean, it's more and it's better because not only is that raw power is the
suspension is the steering or the technology, the driving modes.
I mean, you have amazing technology that is in this car, like the launch control
that you had some version of that in the past one, which was kind of difficult to say, right?
Yeah, everything about this next generation is elevated up.
We've simplified the drive modes are better.
We've added more content, standard all-wheel drive, rear-wheel drive still
though for fun. I think the modes layout is good.
We have the ambient lighting, suspension is better.
We have better on-center steering, less ride shake.
You know, we took every category and tried to elevate it.
So I for me, it's just and anyone who drove an old one who has any doubts
just needs to take it for a drive on both versions, the electric and car
because they're different experiences too.
They are they are, but they're both fantastic.
Most of ours. Well, thank you very much.
Congratulations on your work.
I mean, it's amazing.
And I always again, like I I see people driving the cars and joining
but not thinking too much of the work that is behind it.
And I think you guys deserve more credit.
Oh, thank you. No, it's been awesome.
It's a labor of love.
Yeah, absolutely. That's exactly what it is.
Thank you very much.
That's a wrap for this episode of the Total Car Score podcast.
Want more expert takes on the hottest cars, industry trends and insider insights?
Join Javier Mota, Lauren Fix and Carl Brower every week for the ultimate auto
talk, hit subscribe, like and share with your friends to stay informed and stay ahead.
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About this episode
The episode dives into the development of the 2026 Dodge Charger SixPack, featuring insights from chief engineer Dutch. The discussion highlights the transition to a new multi-energy platform accommodating both electric and internal combustion engines, emphasizing the importance of performance and design. With over 670 horsepower, the new Charger aims to satisfy both traditional muscle car enthusiasts and those curious about electrification. The conversation also touches on the challenges of changing consumer perceptions and the engineering team's dedication to elevating the driving experience.
In this episode, we’re in Knoxville, Tennessee, putting the all-new 2026 Dodge Charger SixPack to the test on the legendary Tail of the Dragon. Joining us is Audrey Moore, Vice President and Chief Engineer for North American Sedan Programs, who breaks down what makes the new SixPack a true evolution—more power, more precision, and a whole new driving experience. Buckle up for insights, performance talk, and one unforgettable test drive.
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