Where’s the Dodge Charger’s Hemi V8? We Have The Answer

Our Take: Just do it.

Where’s the Hemi? Midway through my interview with Dodge CEO Matt McAlear, I posited the question that’s been on Mopar enthusiasts’ minds since the last V8-powered Final Editions rolled off dealer lots a few years ago. 

McAlear didn’t confirm anything, but hinted that “history has a way of repeating itself.”

He said: "You know, we always say that if history has a way of being indicative of the future and you know, typically history has a way of repeating itself. We have a lot in store for this vehicle.”

McAlear noted that the Durango is getting the 392 V8 back for 2026, and Rams with the eTorque 5.7-liter V8 Hemis under the hood began rolling out last year.

Dodge's High-Powered Plan

Even without the Hemi, the Charger has an ambitious rollout this year as new variants launch as part of Dodge’s "multi-energy" strategy, offering both high-powered gas six-cylinder and EV models. The 550-hp Scat Pack coupe is ramping up in January, followed by the sedan a month later, McAlear said. Later in the spring, the 420-hp two- and four-door models will follow.

“This is all in one year,” he said. “And if you think about what we've accomplished in bringing all this to market and everything we did with the outgoing Charger and Challenger with the packages and the buzz [final edition] models, and we have a lot on the plate, and we're excited about the future with this vehicle and everything that this platform allows us to do. And I truly mean it when I say we're just getting started."

Here’s the exchange, starting at the 10:17 mark of the show. Click here to listen to the full episode of the AutoGuide Show, "Why Dodge Has The Best New Car of 2026."

Hellcat or Bust

Meanwhile, Stellantis North America CEO Tim Kuniskis said earlier this month that a supercharged V8 would be the only logical engine for the Charger, meaning the muscle car could be set for an encore with the 6.2-liter Hellcat V8. 

The only way it makes sense to charge for [an optional Hemi] now is I have to go all the way up to a Hellcat,” Kuniskis told Motor Trend in an interview at the 2026 Detroit Auto Show.

Given the Charger’s full dance card this year, it would be logical for Dodge to sell Hurricane sixes and EVs this year, then reveal a Hellcat in late August at its annual event around the Woodward Dream Cruise with an early 2027 return for the Hemi.

It would be easy enough to just say no—the Hemi is dead in the Charger—but no Stellantis exec has done that. Quite the opposite. Like Faulkner wrote, “The past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Sure sounds like that’s what Dodge is saying about the Hemi.

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