Finally! Some good news. Some reports are indicating that Dodge will bring back the Hemi V8 engine, and it might be used in the new Charger, despite Dodge's previous absolute denial that it would return to using internal combustion engines. Are we dealing with true news? If we are, I think we’ve been successfully fooled by Dodge.
There are rumors within the company that engineers are working on bringing back a V8 version of the Charger by 2026, even though the company seemed completely uninterested in returning to what it once was, a company that made legendary muscle cars with massive internal combustion engines. However, the Charger Sixpack, equipped with a twin-turbo Hurricane I6 engine, is scheduled to be released first.
The Sixpack version is reportedly going on production in May, with deliveries in the summer, according to Mopar Insiders. Of course, Dodge enthusiasts will welcome any internal combustion engine version, far from electric motors. Despite that, they still want a V8 engine under its long hood, but they won't see that before 2026.
Most Dodge customers were frustrated when they learned about the release of the electric Daytona. Although the EV will provide instant power and instant torque, it will not make the soul-stirring whine, and the smoke that fills the air from burning tires with the roar of the massive engine.
Even though Dodge ended the production of V8s in the Charger, the production of Hemi engines is increasing for vehicles like the Ram 1500 and Dodge Durango. In a recent interview with The Drive, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said:
"If you look back across the last generation, you go through the engines between the Charger and the Challenger and the Magnum. We started out with a 3.5L V6, 6.1L V8, then a 3.6L V6, 5.7L V8, 6.4L, 6.2L, 6.2L Demon, 6.2L Redeye, 6.2L Demon 170. Do you know how many different powertrains, RWD and AWD, we had on those engines? This is a multi-energy platform that can accommodate all of that. This is just the first year, and you've got four powertrains that outperform every one that they're replacing, with standard AWD? We're just getting started. We're going to have a lot of fun."
When asked about the return of the V8 engine, Kuniskis said that they haven’t disclosed that yet, but what's encouraging is the change in leadership of the company; V8 is not a bad word in the company anymore. However, he mentioned that they still have to follow the rule.
It seems Dodge isn't far from adding new powertrain options as the vehicles age. The current situation (specifically the slow electrification in the markets) is suitable for the company to go back to V8s because companies are currently dealing with a market where the shift towards adopting electric vehicles seems slow, especially since the US President wants to cancel some environmental regulations that initially led to the discontinuation of V8 engines.
From a financial standpoint, this makes sense for the company because, simply put, just as Mercedes is struggling with its current electric cars, Dodge is struggling with selling the Daytona, which is unwanted among Dodge users, and is trying hard with dealerships and through marketing campaigns and financial facilities to increase the car's sales.
