You'll soon be able to test drive Stellantis' new inline-6 engine in Europe

For a long time, it seemed like a phantom engine. Unveiled in 2022 and developed during the FCA era before the merger with PSA, the Hurricane inline-6 (GME T6) was often cited as one of the group’s most promising engines Stellantis. Yet, for European drivers, it seemed destined to remain on the other side of the Atlantic.

When we had unveiled this engine in 2023, we had already pointed out that it could easily have found a home under the hood of an Alfa Romeo Giulia, a Stelvio, or even certain Maserati models. But the group’s accelerated electrification strategy and European regulations seemed to have closed that door for good.

Three years later, the situation has changed. And for the first time, European drivers will be able to experience this engine in their own market.

The engine that could have powered Alfa Romeos

The Hurricane is a unique engine in Stellantis’ recent history. It is not a completely new engine, but rather an evolution of the well-known GME T4, the turbocharged four-cylinder engine found in models such as the Alfa Romeo Giulia and Stelvio.

FCA engineers took this architecture and added two more cylinders to create a 3.0-liter inline-six equipped with twin turbochargers. The result is impressive: depending on the version, this engine delivers between 420 hp and over 500 hp, with particularly generous torque.

At the time, many envisioned this engine as the natural successor to the Alfa Romeo Quadrifoglio V6s or even as a complement to the Maserati lineup. Especially since it had been designed to be compatible with various forms of hybridization and integrated seamlessly into the Giorgio platform. Ultimately, Stellantis reserved the Hurricane for the North American market, where it gradually replaced several HEMI V8 engines in certain Jeep and RAM models.

Stellantis believes so strongly in this engine that it has doubled its production

Last year, several reports from North America indicated that Stellantis was banking on this engine more than ever. The group was even considering the potential to double its production capacity annual production from approximately 250,000 to 500,000 units. This ambition demonstrated that the Hurricane was not merely a transitional engine but a central component of Stellantis’s U.S. strategy. Faced with a market where electrification was progressing more slowly than hoped, the automaker continued to invest in high-performance, modern internal combustion engines. But despite these potentially substantial volumes, there was no indication at the time that Europe would ever benefit from them.

The surprise in Europe comes from Dodge

That’s all changing today, thanks to Dodge. In an official press release announcing that orders are now being accepted for the new generation of the Dodge Charger in Europe, the American automaker has confirmed that gasoline-powered versions equipped with the Hurricane engine will be coming to Europe.

The new Dodge Charger, based on the STLA Large platform, will be available in Europe in both an all-electric Daytona version and a gasoline-powered version called the «SIXPACK.» The latter will feature the famous 3.0-liter twin-turbo Hurricane inline-six engine. Two power levels are planned. The R/T version will produce 420 hp, while the Scat Pack version will feature the High Output variant, peaking at 550 hp. For Europeans, this is a first. Until now, you had to cross the Atlantic to get behind the wheel of a vehicle equipped with this engine.

This may be the only chance to test this engine in Europe

Let’s be clear: this does not mean the Hurricane engine is coming to Alfa Romeo or Maserati. Given the current European regulatory landscape, it remains highly unlikely that it will be incorporated into the future model lineups of the group’s Italian brands. Alfa Romeo’s new models are now based on a largely electrified strategy, and no official plans currently mention the use of this inline-six engine.

But the arrival of the Dodge Charger on the European market is a game-changer for car enthusiasts. For the first time, they’ll be able to see and test drive this engine that’s been the talk of the town for several years. And this is no ordinary engine. With up to 550 hp, all-wheel drive, and an inline-six-cylinder layout that has become rare on the market, it is likely one of the last major internal combustion engines developed by Stellantis. In fact, a sedan built on the STLA Large platform with this GME 6-cylinder engine could have been an Alfa Romeo Giulia in a parallel universe.