Dodge’s Best-Selling Vehicle Reveals A Bigger Problem
Dodge has released its Q3 sales figures, and there is one clear winner in sales so far this year. While it is great news for this model, and for keeping the marque relevant after big changes in the lineup, it does reveal a bigger problem. And not just for Dodge.
What Dodge Is Known For
If you ask someone who loves classic muscle cars, Dodge would be one of the brands they would talk about. The ’69–70 Charger R/T is iconic thanks to its Coke-bottle fastback lines, 426 Hemi V8, and hidden headlights; the ’69 Charger Daytona ripped up NASCAR; and most generations of the Dodge Viper combine track-worthy DNA and oodles of horsepower. In short, Dodge is famous for turning out some of the loudest, most legendary, and most powerful muscle cars ever to grace American roads.
How The Dodge Lineup Has Changed Lately
Like all brands, though, things have changed lately. Both the Dodge Charger and Challenger lost their iconic V8 Hemi power in 2023 and have been replaced by electric and inline-six-powered versions, and the Hellcat was also dropped with no like-for-like replacement.
While there is still some muscle to Dodge’s modern-day coupes, it is not like it used to be, and it is not delivered the way die-hard muscle fans crave in the modern market. Perhaps unsurprisingly, their performance SUV has taken over the reins, by some way.
The Dodge Durango Dominates U.S. Sales
We cannot say we are shocked that the 2026 Dodge Durango is doing so well. Starting prices, with destination, for the Durango GT are $40,990; for the GT V8, $44,690; for the GT V8 Plus, $47,590; for the GT Premium V8, $50,990; for the GT Plus America 250 Edition, $51,585; for the R/T 392 Launch Edition, $51,990; for the GT Plus HEMI V8 America 250 Edition, $53,265; and for the GT Premium HEMI V8 America 250 Edition, $56,265.
There is also the Durango SRT Hellcat, which has a starting price of $81,990, and can be customized with the $995 Jailbreak package. All Durangos get a V-engine. The GT and GT Plus get a 295-horsepower/260-pound-foot 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, HEMI-labelled models get a 360-horsepower/390-pound-foot HEMI V8, the R/T gets a 475-horsepower/470-pound-foot 6.4-liter HEMI V8, and the SRT Hellcat gets a 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V8 good for 710 horsepower and 645 pound-feet of torque.
The Durango Accounts For More Than 85% Of Dodge’s Q3 2026 Sales
The Durango is currently the only new Dodge model with an available HEMI V8, and while it is not strictly a muscle car, it still offers a taste of the old-school V-power that made Dodge such a powerhouse. According to Stellantis’ Q3 sales report, Dodge sold 22,755 Durango models between July and October. This makes for a 14 percent increase in Durango sales compared to Q3 2025, and makes for a staggering 85.7 percent of Dodge sales in the third quarter of 2026.
It Outsells The Rest Of The Dodge Lineup By A Long Way
Dodge reported a total of 26,546 sales in the third quarter of this year, with the gas-powered Charger selling 3,446 models, the Charger Daytona EV selling 233 models, and the Hornet selling just 85 models, though that comes as little surprise. To put these figures into perspective, the Durango has outsold every other Dodge model combined by more than six to one; it has outsold both the gas and EV Chargers by a similar amount, and outsold the Hornet by an incredible 267 to one.
Dodge’s Lineup Has A Long Way To Go
Losing the iconic HEMI V8 in most of the lineup was always going to put a lot of fans off, and that seems to be the case with the current Dodge lineup. Some would rightly argue that it should still be available for more than just the Durango SUV.
Gas-Powered Charger Should Arguably Be Better
According to owner reviews on Kelley Blue Book, the 2026 Dodge Charger is rated 3.8 out of 5 overall. Not the worst scores ever, but likely not as high as many might have anticipated. Now that the V8 has gone from the lineup, the Charger is equipped with a 3.0-liter turbocharged Hurricane (SIXPACK) inline-six.
The reason why sales should be better is that the SIXPACK is more powerful than the outgoing 5.7-liter Hemi used in the Charger R/T. It is rated at 420 horsepower and up to 468 pound-feet of torque in the new R/T and at 550 horsepower and 531 pound-feet of torque in the Scat Pack. On top of that, the 2026 Charger can hit 60 mph in 3.9 to 5 seconds and is equipped with Line Lock, Launch Control, and a rigid independent multi-link front and rear suspension.
Electric Charger Daytona Has Yet To Make An Impact
It was always going to be a hard sell using the Charger Daytona nameplate for an EV, and though it is a serious piece of machinery, it has yet to make a proper name for itself. The most powerful option, the Daytona Scat Pack, gets a dual-motor all-wheel drive setup, and a 100.5 kWh gross battery capacity.
This translates to 670 horsepower and 627 pound-feet of torque, and a 0–60 mph time of 3.3 seconds. There is no denying that it has all the ingredients to be good; it is just not mechanical and raw like a Charger should be. Plus, with a starting price of around $60,000 and features many consider gimmicky, like the Fratzonic chambered exhaust pumping out a synthetic sound, many fans have yet to warm up to it.
The Hornet Is Missed Today
2025 was the last model year of the Dodge Hornet SUV, having been on the market only since 2023. However, during this time, it did offer something for mid-tier performance SUV fans at a reasonable price.
The Hornet GT gets a 2.0-liter turbo-four good for 268 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque, and AWD as standard, while the PHEV flavor, the Hornet R/T, gets a 1.3-liter turbo-four paired with an electric motor for 288 horsepower and 383 pound-feet of torque. The Hornet R/T is also equipped with PowerShot boost, which helps it reach 60 mph in 5.6 seconds. All while being able to carry 50.5 cubic feet of cargo and having reasonable original starting prices of between $32,000 and $49,000.
Dodge’s Engineering Is There — But Buyers Are Waiting For The Emotional Pull
The fact that the Hornet is missed and that the Durango is by far the best-selling Dodge in Q3 this year could say a lot about the market valuing performance and usability at the same time. The 2026 Durango has a 0–60 mph time of between 3.5 and 6.9 seconds (depending on trim), seats seven, and has a maximum cargo capacity of 85.1 cubic feet. It also looks the part of a crossbreed between a muscle car and an SUV, so there is little surprise regarding its sales figures.
Dodge has spent decades making ordinary traffic look mundane, but its current lineup asks buyers to accept a different idea of muscle. The engineering is there; the emotional pull is harder to replace. Stellantis appears to recognize that, though, with the Hemi V8 reportedly set to return in some models. The SIXPACK Charger has the numbers, but the Durango shows that a lot of Dodge fans still have a soft spot for displacement, cylinders, and proper V8 rumble. Perhaps Dodge should give them more ways to get it.
Sources: Dodge and Kelley Blue Book.
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