Dodge Teases Next-Generation Charger Pursuit Model

by Carl Malek | August 27, 2024

Dodge confirms that the new Charger will be joined by an all-new pursuit model as it prepares a renewed assault on the police vehicle market to snatch more sales away from Ford.

Dodge released a lone teaser image of its Charger Pursuit concept.

The Dodge Charger promises to be a potent muscle car when it makes its way to Dodge dealerships. While the brand is taking a big risk axing the entire V8 lineup for EV and smaller inline-six powertrains, the company hopes that this gamble will help lure in a new generation of buyers that have the need for speed and crave a distinct retro-inspired vehicle to suit their needs.

But while Dodge is focusing the bulk of its marketing on appeasing these performance junkies, it can be easy to forget that the brand also has a strong sales business with police departments. The brand is following up the debut of the standard Charger with a tease of the next-generation Charger Pursuit.

Charger Pursuit is out to nab speeders

The new Charger Pursuit promises to be an improvement over the outgoing one.

Dodge’s lone teaser image of the Pursuit appeared on Instagram and it shares many things with the civilian model with the only obvious difference being a hood-mounted graphic and the roof-mounted lightbar. The brand says that the Pursuit pictured is merely a concept for now, but we suspect that this won’t be the case for long with the Pursuit allowing Dodge to compete with Chevrolet and Ford in the police car market.

The Pursuit will most likely be based on the four-door Charger with this layout also being used on older versions of the Charger Pursuit over the years. Dodge didn’t list any mechanical changes for the concept but expect the Pursuit to continue benefitting from heavy-duty brakes, beefed-up cooling, and other performance upgrades that allow it to keep up with criminals in high-speed pursuit situations.

What engine will it have

A big question will be what powertrains the Pursuit will come with since EV and ICE powertrains are all on the table.

It’s safe to assume that the Charger Pursuit will have access to the civilian Charger’s engine lineup, but the big question is whether Dodge will offer just the ICE-powered inline-six engine, or perhaps offer the Pursuit as an EV. The driving force behind the decision is what the police departments want in long-term use and whether the powertrain in question can meet their needs especially when it comes to maintenance and repairs after a demanding day on the beat.

An EV version of the Pursuit would be a bold statement for the brand with the Charger offering several EV powertrains that would certainly be powerful enough for police duty. However, the odds are good that Dodge will simply offer the Pursuit as an ICE-powered model only with no EV planned. The 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six is no slouch with the base tune producing 420 hp while the upgraded version produces 550 hp. The inline-six would also make maintenance easier since parts for these engines would be cheaper and officers can quickly fill up their vehicles at a traditional gas station versus having to search for a charging station.