Talk about a comeback. In a move that some people will surely find puzzling, the Dodge Charger is the 2026 North American Car of the Year.

After the less-than-warm reception of its electric counterpart, the Charger Sixpack managed to sway the panel, made up of 50 automotive journalists across all of North America. Dodge credits the new twin-turbo inline-six for tipping the scales back in their favour — and we certainly vouch for the Hurricane being a great addition to the lineup.

The Charger Sixpack beat out the redesigned Nissan Sentra and reborn Honda Prelude, the two other finalists vying for the award.

Also taking home some hardware are the Hyundai Palisade and Ford Maverick Lobo, winners of the North American Utility Vehicle and Truck of the Year awards, respectively. The panellists were won over by the Maverick Lobo’s significantly different personality, enough to beat the Hemi Ram 1500 and the Ram 2500.

As for the Palisade’s win? Well, who doesn’t appreciate its new powertrains, the roomier and snazzier interior, and the logical and easy-to-use controls? In the utility category, the redesigned Nissan Leaf and the Lucid Gravity — which we’ll be driving later this spring — were the two other finalists.