Stellantis ramps up gas-powered vehicle production at Windsor Assembly
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Ramping up production of the gas-powered, two-door Dodge Charger Daytona this month is a sign of an increased focus by Stellantis on internal-combustion options produced at the Windsor Assembly Plant.
Production of the gas-powered four-door Charger is expected to accelerate this fall.
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“Production started in June and we’ll see quadruple digits of the (gas-powered) two-door Charger in September,” said AutoForecast Solutions vice-president of global vehicle forecasting Sam Fiorani.
“The four-door will hit volume in quarter three. Production will really start in October.”
The new generation Charger was first made available in electric versions, but market conditions and President Donald Trump’s changing of emission standards in the U.S. has given Stellantis some flexibility in using more internal combustion engines (ICE).
The 670-horsepower Dodge Charger Scat Pack electric model will continue to be available, but the company has paused production of the lower powered R/T Charger EV for 2026.
“The (Charger) EV rollout was relatively uneventful,” Fiorani said. “It’s a great product, but the market for that vehicle wants gas-powered engines.
“The changing emission regulations in the U.S. have allowed for more gas-powered engines.
“The focus on the ICE variants is going to be much stronger than it had initially been planned.
“They’ve invested a lot of money in Windsor and getting those lines up and running is crucial. It’s likely the gas-powered variants will appeal to fleet buyers as the old Charger did, especially to police package companies.”
Fiorani expects the gas-powered Chargers to also do very well in the retail market.
“It’s a strong design,” Fiorani said. “It’s got a throwback look and it’s a very large vehicle.
“It’ll appeal to a lot of buyers as long as you have the right power train.”
Stellantis will offer two versions of the 3.0-litre, twin-turbocharged Hurricane straight-six engine being used in its gas-powered Chargers.
The Charger Sixpack H.O. will produce 550 horsepower while the Sixpack S.O. is rated at 420 horsepower.
The Hurricane inline six engine, which was introduced in 2022, is made at Stellantis’s Saltillo Engine Plant in Mexico.
“The Hurricane engine is an excellent power train,” Fiorani said.
Fiorani believes Stellantis will look to expand its ICE offerings at Windsor Assembly beyond the Hurricane engine.
Stellantis engineers have been at Windsor Assembly studying if the STLA large platform used to build the Charger can handle a Hemi V-8 engine.
Chrysler Corporation created the famed Hemi V-8 in 1951 and is restarting its hemi program at its Dundee Engine Plant in Michigan. The company is reportedly going to manufacture the Hemi in three versions – the 5.7-litre, 6.4-litre and Hellcat.
Sources have told the Star that Stellantis is also exploring offering the high-performance Hellephant engine that produces 1,000 horsepower in the Charger.
“We haven’t seen the Hemi V-8 yet,” said Fiorani of the future production data that projects out to about 18 months. “That (Hemi) is expected if it fits on the (STLA large) platform.
“We haven’t seen any of that engineering information showing it fits in the platform yet. The revival of the Hemi makes perfect sense.”
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