Trump said he didn’t want Canadian cars — now one built in Windsor, Ont., is racking up big U.S. awards

It was just a few months ago that U.S. President Donald Trump told the world he doesn’t want Canadian cars. 

But now, it’s a Canadian-built vehicle — a reborn North American muscle car — that’s been racking up U.S. awards.

That car, the gas-powered Dodge Charger Sixpack, started rolling off the line in Windsor, Ont., earlier this month. Since then, the new model has won TopGear’s U.S. car of the year and The Detroit News’ vehicle of the year.

Now, it’s one of 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, the CEO of the more than 100-year-old Michigan-based car brand. “This marks kind of the evolution of muscle cars as we know it.”

The 550-horsepower Sixpack is at the heart of the American brand’s transition at a time of regulatory and market turbulence on both sides of the border. The car, featuring a 3.0L twin turbo inline-six engine, enters the market after the Dodge Charger Daytona, an ambitious all-electric muscle car, failed to catch on with consumers. 

Parent company Stellantis suffered a steep drop in profits last year, in part due to Dodge's discontinuation of the old gas-powered Chargers and Challengers.

The new model represents a broader shift back to internal combustion engines — one driven by stagnating electric vehicle (EV) sales and governments slashing purchasing incentives. 

“The adoption of EVs has been very slow and manufacturers geared up for huge adoption of EVs,” said Sam Fiorani, a veteran auto forecaster and analyst. “While there is a market for EVs, a lot of 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 has been a glimmer of hope for Canada’s car capital, where the unemployment rate was among the highest in the country for most of the year.

“There's most certainly dark clouds surrounding the whole industry,” said Mike Stevenson, 1st vice president of Unifor Local 444, which represents thousands of workers at the Windsor plant. 

“We’ve got to take this as a silver lining, and Stellantis is putting these cars here in spite of the tariffs,” he said. “So that's a testament to the workforce and to me, I'll take that good news while we can get it, 'cause it's been a tough year.” 

The Sixpack still faces challenges — the biggest of which, arguably, is whether performance-minded car enthusiasts will accept anything less than a V8 engine in a muscle car. The vehicles are subject to U.S. tariffs, too, since they’re assembled in Canada — and there doesn’t appear to be an end to those in sight.

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