Sounds Like Dodge Is Flirting With Putting A Hemi V8 In The Charger

Dodge has been inexplicably steadfast in its push toward an electrified future, but recent comments from CEO Matt McAlear suggest the brand is considering dropping a V8 in the new Charger.

Over the last 20 years or so Dodge has tied its brand identity to the Hemi V8, however, under Stellantis Dodge's most popular product and brand characteristics have been all but eliminated. It's like walking into an Outback Steakhouse and being told the restaurant no longer serves beef—I'd leave too, wouldn't you?

In a recent conversation with The Drive, McAlear wouldn't confirm a Hemi resurrection but left the door open in a way Dodge executives previously had not.

“If you look back across the last generation, you go through the engines between the Charger and the Challenger and the Magnum,” McAlear was quoted as saying. “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. You know, how many different powertrains, RWD and AWD, we had on those engines?

"This [Charger] 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 pressed about whether the new Charger’s platform could accommodate a V8, it sounds like a yes if you read between the lines of McAlear's dancing answer.

“You know, we’re always looking at ways to find best-in-class performance, to build on performance, and to push the boundaries. We don’t want to stand still at Dodge, and we don’t plan on it. There will be powertrain variations that continue to come. We haven’t even launched the SRT yet, so we still have to get into that. And who knows where we go if the business case makes sense [for a V8] and there’s potential.”

In case you forgot, the Hurricane inline-six engines are supposed to dimensionally fit where the outgoing Pentastar and Hemi engines lived—it was one of the main design fundamentals of the inline engine program.

Under Stellantis' prior leadership, Dodge framed the transition to electrification as a clean break from the Hemi era. Reports last year indicated that the Charger was originally designed to include a V8 before Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares nixed the plan.

Now, with the reign of Tavares over, McAlear hinted at a return to Dodge's normal corporate culture: “V8s are no longer a bad word around the company." Naturally, emissions regulations will remain a factor, even with potential policy shifts under a new U.S. administration.

That regulatory uncertainty plays into Dodge’s reluctance to commit to a new V8 program, even if the Republicans undo everything, it's only a four-year deal, and developing and integrating a new engine into a new platform is a multi-year process—one that may only wrap up as the current administration is heading out the door.

In the meantime, the brand’s focus remains on launching the new-generation Charger with its inline-six and electric powertrains, as well as upcoming SRT variants. Whether a V8 reappears will likely depend on how the new Charger lineup is received and whether Dodge can justify the investment.

Inversely, the opportunity cost of not offering shoppers a V8 choice must be considered as well—how much sales volume is left on the table continuing with six-cylinder and electric powertrains exclusively? BMW recently announced the V8 would live for as long as possible in America because consumers love it, if BMW can figure it out, Dodge should be able to as well.

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