Trump said he didn’t want Canadian cars — now one built in Windsor, Ont., is collecting big prizes in the US

Just a few months ago, US President Donald Trump told the world he didn’t want Canadian cars.

But now, it’s a Canadian-built vehicle—a North American muscle car reborn—that’s won American awards.

That car, the gas-powered Dodge Charger Sixpack, started rolling off the line in Windsor, Ontario earlier this month. Since then, the new model has won TopGear US Car of the Year and Detroit News Vehicle of the Year.

Now, it is one of the three finalists for the prestigious North American Car of the Year award, the winner of which will be revealed next month at the Detroit Auto Show.

“I think this is symbolic of the next generation of Dodge,” says Matt McAlear, CEO of the 100-plus-year-old Michigan auto brand. “This marks a kind of evolution of muscle cars as we know them.”

The 550-horsepower six-pack is at the center of the American marque’s transition at a time of regulatory and market turmoil on both sides of the border. The car, with a 3.0-liter twin-turbo inline-six engine, enters the market after the Dodge Charger Daytona, an ambitious all-electric car, failed to attract consumers.

Parent company Stellantis suffered a steep decline in profits last year, in part because of Dodge’s discontinuation of its aging gas-powered Charger and Challenger.

The new model represents a wider shift back to internal combustion engines – one driven by stagnant electric vehicle (EV) sales and governments reducing purchase incentives.

“The adoption of electric vehicles has been very slow, and manufacturers have been preparing for widespread adoption of electric vehicles,” said Sam Fiorani, a forecaster and auto analyst. “While there is a market for electric vehicles, many buyers really want a gas engine because they understand it.”

The Sixpack also embodies the enduring cross-border nature of the North American auto industry, which has taken a financial beating from Trump’s trade war. The reimagined Charger was a glimmer of hope for Canada’s auto capital, where the unemployment rate was among the highest in the country for most of the year.

“There are certainly dark clouds surrounding the entire industry,” said Mike Stevenson, first vice president of Unifor Local 444, which represents thousands of workers at the Windsor plant.

“We have to take that as a silver lining, and Stellantis is putting these cars here despite the tariffs,” he said. “So this is a testament to the workforce and to me, I’ll take the good news until we can get it, because it’s been a tough year.”

The sixpack still faces challenges—the biggest of which, perhaps, is whether performance car enthusiasts will accept anything less than a V8 engine in a muscle car. The vehicles are also subject to US tariffs because they’re assembled in Canada — and there doesn’t seem to be an end to those in sight.

The car also comes with a pretty substantial price tag at a time when many consumers are already struggling with the cost of living.

But so far, the Windsor-built muscle car is making its mark.

“This is truly a turning point”

Both TopGear and The Detroit News applauded the Sixpack’s power, looks and versatility. “The Charger is not only gorgeous (channeling the 1968 Charger OG), but also utilitarian,” the latter wrote.

Both outlets highlighted the car’s ability to switch from all-wheel drive to rear-wheel drive — something McAlear says helps turn old Dodge muscle cars into more practical vehicles.

“The ability to put it in rear wheel drive when you want to have fun is fantastic,” he said. “550 horsepower, comfortable for five, a hidden hatch design that allows for SUV-like storage capacity. This is truly a turning point.”

Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting at AutoForecast Solutions, says the awards “are always good for marketing.”

This is especially true online, according to one Windsor dealer.

“Social media is where a lot of this is promoted,” said Jeff Pawluk, director of sales at Motor City Chrysler. “I think that helps with the hype, especially on the way out.”

Pawluk said the dealership — which is across the street from the Stellantis Windsor assembly plant — has sold just two battery-powered Daytonas. “On most vehicles, we’ll sell hundreds in a year,” he said.

They didn’t have Sixpacks in stock yet, but they’ve already seen “a lot of interest, especially online,” he said. “We’ve had a few customers come in and ask us.”

Pawluk said many questions center around the car’s arrival date and the different options and colors available. “And then, of course, it always comes down to price. Where does the price go down for it?”

The new Chargers start at $54,995 ($69,995) and go up to $70,455, or nearly $90,000. But as The Detroit News claimed, the Scat Pack version of the Sixpack “combines with a BMW M530i that costs 10 grand more.”

McAlear said that “while pricing is certainly part of the equation,” Dodge is working on it, delivering a vehicle “that is priced appropriately for the segment, the market and what [they’re] delivery to consumers.”

He has declined to provide specific sales figures so far. “But what I can tell you is that we used up the allotment for the 26 model year in 24 hours,” he said.

“The response has been overwhelming.”

To V8 or not to V8?

First up for many Dodge enthusiasts was whether the brand would bring back V8 engines in the Charger.

McAlear doesn’t rule it out. “I think a lot of people just saw that we brought one back into the drag package, which is a modified, illegal drag race car,” he said. “But I always say that history has a way of repeating itself.”

That history, he explained, refers to the engine evolution of earlier Chargers and Challengers, which became more powerful over time.

The decision to go with the inline-six engine for now came from a desire to keep pushing for better performance, he said. The new engines pack a heavier punch than the old V8s despite having fewer cylinders.

Fiorani, however, expressed skepticism that consumers would accept it, calling it “a good test for Stellantis”.

“The Ram truck did the same thing a few years ago and the buyers just weren’t there for the six-cylinder, even though it’s a better engine and offers even more power and better efficiency,” he said.

No regrets about EV Charger: Dodge CEO

McAlear, who took over as Dodge’s CEO last year, said he has no regrets about introducing the electric Daytona despite poor sales numbers.

“In hindsight what it is, could we have launched the Sixpack at the same time as Daytona? That would have been ideal in my mind,” he said. “That’s not always feasible from a development standpoint, from a production standpoint.”

McAlear also said that introducing another gas-powered charger has always been part of their plan for it to “be a multi-energy platform.”

He said he still believes in EV technology and that demand will evolve over time — probably faster in big cities — and that he’s excited the company can “flex with this change.”

What the future holds for us

McAlear said they started shipping the Sixpacks in the last few weeks and have started reaching some dealers.

However, Dodge only has two vehicles on offer right now: Chargers and Durangos. McAlear said he couldn’t talk specifics about any new models yet, but that “there’s definitely a need for a more affordable entry-level product.”

As for whether any new Dodge products might return to Brampton, where thousands of Stellantis workers face an uncertain future, McAlear said they can’t say anything yet.

“We’re looking at a lot of things from a corporate standpoint, but nothing that we’ve been able to disclose right now,” he said. “We’re looking for the best fit for both Brampton and us, and I’m confident we’ll find something.”

He noted that Brampton employees had the option to move to Windsor as well. “So we have a bright future with Canada and it’s looking good.”

McAlear said, however, that he is hiring Windsor, which also builds the Chrysler Pacifica minivans.

“Windsor Assembly Plant is a great group of people and a great manufacturing facility,” he said. “We look forward to a long history of building cars there and continuing that history because it’s a great location geographically. And it’s great to be right across the river from Detroit.”

For factory workers, seeing their muscle cars get rave reviews is a source of pride, according to Stevenson, the union director.

“We know we’re getting these cars for a reason. It’s one of their best plants in the corporation,” he said.

“We’re always looking for more product in the factory to keep us stable,” he said. The minivan has been there since 1983.”

“So it’s pretty exciting to build a car that seems to be the next hot thing on the market.”