top of page
hyperion_xp1_raceway_1_edited.jpg

rocket scientists develop hydrogen supercar

Concept cars provide great eye candy to grace covers of car enthusiast magazines or in our case, to entertain visitors to the Autoeditor landing page. Some concepts are more speculative than others since these days a clever designer can create a nearly working prototype without writing a big check to a custom metal-crafting shop. Instead, today's computer aided design (CAD) and 3D printing make cool concepts appear quite realistic. We're not sure how this concept was created, but since the new Hyperon XP-1 makes amazing claims, from 0to-60 in under 2.2-seconds, 221 MPH+ top speed and a 1,016-mile range, all on a handy fillip of hydrogen fuel, count us as skeptics about production feasibility. Especially when the small Irvine company hasn't provided important details, like where does the energy production and storage come from. Meantime, it's sure fun to look at.
hyperion_xp1_mood_studio_4_edited.jpg
hyperion_xp1_exterior_1_edited.jpg

For some of us who’ve been around the automotive industry for more than a handful of decades, the term “muscle car” was popularized in the 1960s era of American automakers stuffing big V8 engines into coupes, sedans and a few convertibles. Fast forward to today’s market and, at least for the moment, the only former “Big Three” automaker stuffing snorting V8 engines into passenger cars is Ford. But this hardly means that petrol powered bragging rights are the sole province of the fellas in Dearborn, Michigan.

First a short history lesson. The Dodge brothers built their first car in 1914 and in 1928 their company was acquired by Chrysler. In 1998 the iconic American automaker joined Mercedes-Benz parent to create DaimlerChrysler Motors, an alleged “Merger of Equals”. In 2007 Cerberus Capital Management took control and along with a weak economy, steered the automaker into further distress. After a short restructuring, Fiat acquired a majority stake in Chrysler Corp and in 2014 renamed the automaker to FCA US LLC. Finally in 2021, Fiat and the French PSA Group joined to become Stellantis N.V. with headquarters in Hoofddorp, North Holland.

​

I share this very condensed history to enable readers to grasp how challenging it has been for the Dodge product planners to get really competitive cars to market. Today’s Charger is a great example. After successfully positioning Dodge as a provider of rip-snorting, thunderous performance vehicles, the Netherlands-based Stellantis decided that electricity was the best propulsion system for the Dodge Charger. They might have asked Harley Davidson how sales of their battery-powered motorcycle were doing but wasn’t the car business pivoting to plugs? So 2025 was not a banner year for electric Chargers.

​

This year Chargers are literally roaring back and while not “yet” with HEMI V8 power, the 3.0-liter, twin-turbo, six-cylinder engine offerings are compelling. Charger’s standard offering produces 420 HP with a deep growl out the twin exhaust pipes. Not enough to make your right foot happy? Option the high-output version and 550 HP is on tap, plenty enough to take on most V8s. And early buyers could acquire a Super Bee Launch Edition with 600 HP and that high-octane bee on the fenders. Sadly, they didn’t send me that version.

​

Today’s Dodge fellas position the Daytona as a muscle car rivaling Ford’s Mustang and when applied to the two-door coupe version, that’s fair. But I found this good-looking, well-equipped four-door sports sedan a reasonable rival to a few luxury brands. If you want a GM competitor, it’s Cadillac’s CT5 V, a quite nice sports sedan but you’ll give up 100 HP and some interior space. BMW’s 540i xDrive and the Mercedes-Benz E 450 4MATIC also offer smooth power and handling, but you’ll spend luxury money to sit in those heated seats.

 

Our Dodge didn’t really rival luxury brands in the elevated detail of materials and precision but our Charger continued to impress me with a long list of attributes that are not often found in high-volume models. And the handling characteristics are quite good for a full-size sedan that adds even more utility with a big rear hatch opening and folding rear seats. The new Charger is a welcome offering in today’s utilitarian marketplace.

Dodge Charger Rear_edited.jpg
Dodge Charger Interior_edited.jpg

THE FINE PRINT

2026 Dodge Charger R/T Plus

TYPE:  Front Engine, all-wheel-drive

ENGINE:  3.0 -liter twin-turbo I-6

HORSEPOWER:  420 @ 5,200 RPM

TORQUE:  469 lb.ft. @ 3,500 RPM

BASE PRICE: $51,995

AS TESTED:  $65,365

FUEL CONSUMPTION:  

17-city, 26-highway, 20-combined

bottom of page