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Rumors are flying that Dodge may be bringing back Hemi V8 power to the Charger, which went electric for its new eighth generation.
Hemis Never Say Die
It’s rumored Dodge might be bringing back the Hemi V8 to the Charger. Here’s why that’s a bigger deal than it might sound.
Of all the brands to shunt the V8 for electrification and small, more efficient gas engines, Dodge was about the last one you’d expect to do so. The home of the Hemi was built on horsepower, burnt rubber, and the sonorous rumble of a V8. And so, it was with both surprise and chagrin when Dodge announced their “Last Call” lineup, a grand bon voyage to the V8 before the advent of the next-gen Charger with its electric powertrain and optional straight six (!?).
Many felt this was the end of Dodge as we’d known it. While electrification offered obscene straight-line speed, it would never replace the tactile experience of a living (fire) breathing V8 under the hood. The consolation prize “Hurricane” twin-turbo I-6, already in use in the RAM 1500 and Jeep’s Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, might be powerful but it’ll never replicate the aural experience of a V8’s signature roar.
And so recent rumors that Dodge may well be bringing back the Hemi V8 to the Charger, as well as the RAM 1500, were welcomed news to fans of the brand.
A Changing of the Guard
So, what changed? It turns out a lot. The mad rush toward electrification of just a few years ago has shifted into low gear. Sales continue to rise year-over-year but the expected rapid adoption of EVs has not been forthcoming. This has many manufacturers looking to hybrids to fill the efficiency gap and, in the case of performance brands like Dodge and Mercedes, a re-evaluation of sunsetting of V8 powertrains as premature.
In the case of Dodge, the proximate cause for the return of the Hemi is the departure of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares this past December and the return, perhaps not coincidentally, of Tim Kuniskis at RAM. You may recall Kuniskis had taken retirement as CEO of Dodge and RAM just last year with a memorable send-off as the pitchman for the next-gen electric Dodge Charger.
What’s clear from the above video is that Kuniskis clearly knows what the Dodge brand is all about; that and electrifying the Charger, despite his best efforts to convince us otherwise, is at odds with that brand. So, coincidence or not, Kuniskis’ return likely means flipping the script from a “no, but (EVs and I-6s)” to “yes, (EVs, I-6s) and Hemi V8s.”
Rumor Has It Hemi
Currently, Dodge and RAM have yet to officially announce anything, but rumors abound. The specificity and origin (dealers and dedicated websites like Mopar Insiders) lend credence to those rumors and make them more than speculative.
It sounds like Dodge will be bringing back not one but three V8s into production at their Dundee facility in Michigan. They included the 5.7L, the (392) 6.4L, and supercharged Hellcat 6.2L. Not only will the Charger be getting V8 power once again, but a dealer leak confirmed the 5.7L Hemi will be returning as an option for the RAM 1500 as well.
This could be considered more of a shift than a strict “return” as the RAM still offers a 6.4L V8 in their Heavy-Duty trucks, just not the 392-version seen in the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392. Likewise, Dodge extended the run of “Last Call” Durangos into the 2025 model year featuring 5.7L and 6.2L supercharged V8s. Incidentally, an additional rumor suggests that 6.2L could come back in a TRX redux (it’s unclear what that would mean for the current TRX inheritor, the Hurricane I-6-equipped RHO).
Hurricane vs V8
It’s understandable that Dodge fans felt miffed by the rapid departure of the V8. Sure, the “Last Call” Chargers and Challengers were cool (and expensive), but did a brand defined by its devil-may-care attitude really need to go electric? The current crop of all-electric Dodge Chargers haven’t exactly been flying off lots and many fans are continuing to wait for the arrival of the gas-powered Six-Pack Charger and its Hurricane I-6.
The thing is, the Hurricane is a good engine. The twin-turbo 3.0L straight-six makes 420 horsepower and 460 lb.-ft. of torque while still getting 21 mpg combined. Compare that to the 5.7L Hemi it replaced in the RAM 1500 which made 390 horsepower and 410 lb.-ft. of torque and got 17 mpg combined. Undoubtedly, the returning V8s for the Charger would outdo those power numbers while sacrificing on efficiency. And that, according to Dodge CEO Matt McAlear, is the rub.
“We haven’t disclosed that,” McAlear said in an interview with The Drive, referring to the V8’s return. “But one of the things that’s encouraging is that with the change in leadership, you know, V8s are no longer a bad word around the company. But with anything, we still have to be compliant (emphasis mine).”
McAlear said the Charger will feature a number of powertrain options and that V8s could be part of that mix if there were a business case for them. It sounds like the tepid response to the fully electric Charger has justified the return of the V8. Given even a newly relaxed regulatory framework, we’d expect the Charger to retain both the full-electric and Hurricane I-6 options even as Dodge expands those options to include new and returning V8s.
