Dodge Insiders Tell Of A New V8 Charger
Stellantis is in the middle of a broad push for the combustion engine. The conglomerate, formed in 2021, is comprised of American brands like Jeep, Dodge, and Ram. In the face of widening deregulation by the Trump Administration and consumer uncertainty on EVs, automakers have moved towards gas engines. Stellantis is one of the most aggressive; it culled its Jeep 4xe hybrid lineup, moved its electric truck to a gas-powered range-extended platform, and is racing to put the much-loved Hemi V8 back into as many of its products as it can. Sources at MoparInsiders claim that the Dodge Charger will be next.
The Dodge V8 is muscle car homeostasis
Dodge
Development of a Dodge Charger Hellcat has already begun, according to these sources. Reportedly, development is still in its early stages. This is likely as a result of regulatory uncertainty. In the year since Trump's election, automakers have waited to see how the President would treat emissions standards. With the repeal of the Endangerment Finding, his stance is clear, and so is the path toward continued gas engine use.
The report says the high-power trim, which started on the now-dead Dodge Challenger and Charger sedans, could arrive by the 2028 model year, which points to a late-2027 start date for the renewed badge. Tim Kuniskis, CEO of Ram and head of the performance-focused SRT Division, has said previously that if the Charger did get a V8, it wouldn't be the Hemi's 5.7-liter edition. His comments, viewed in this context, point towards an idea: the reintroduction of the Hemi V8 as a range-topping Hellcat model, supercharged and living inside the updated Charger.
The Charger is already gas-powered, but its twin-turbocharged inline-six lacks the theater of the V8. Dodge and Stellantis opted to downsize the engine and offer it alongside an electric powertrain when the vehicle was being developed, likely to brace for the then-current emissions status quo, which aimed to curb gasoline engine development in favor of hybrids and EVs.