Dodge Charger won’t launch with Hemi V8 without major redesign

The Hermi are all but dead on Stlantis, with reports claiming Carlos Tavares killed it. Whether or not that’s true, Dodge clearly understands buyers want a gas-only option. That’s why production of the gasoline-powered Charger is ahead of schedule. A new report claims that the new Charger won’t be powered by a Hemi V8 anytime soon, even considering all the various factors.

As a reminder, those claiming to be familiar with the matter say that now-former CEO Tavares axed the Hemi so that Dodge and Ram could be “greener.” However, he left the company earlier this month. Now, while reviews of the new Charger Daytona have been less than stellar, at least one report suggests it won’t come with a V8 engine.

MORE: Dodge dealers have discounted new Charger Daytona EV based on MSRP

Jalopnik’s Andy Kalmowitz says Dodge engineers say there are two main problems. First, the Hemi V8 won’t even fit under the hood of the new Charger. While I personally fully support Dodge selling a Charger with the V8 engine sticking directly out of the hood, this may not meet safety standards.

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Apparently, engineers claimed that shoehorning the V8 into the Charger would require moving stands and firewalls. Based solely on the cost of redesigning these critical components, this is unlikely to happen. On top of that, Dodge must conduct new crash tests.

Furthermore, engineers claimed that returning to a V8 engine would be “antithetical to what they were trying to achieve with the car.” To be clear, our goal is to build the next generation of muscle cars for the modern world. Did Dodge succeed? Reviews have been mixed, and there’s no indication yet of how customers will adopt the car. Regardless, a Stellantis spokesperson issued the following statement in response to the report:

“Dodge is committed to launching a new, all-new electric Dodge Charger Daytona model, as well as the Dodge Charger SIXPACK ICE option next year. We have nothing to share about potential future products.”

Granted, this neither confirms nor refutes the initial reports, although given the engineering hurdles, it’s unlikely the new Charger will feature a V8 engine in the future. For now, at least, the Hemi is still present in cars like the Jeep Wrangler 392 and Durango we recently drove, as well as heavy-duty Ram trucks. Still, there are plenty of V8 Chargers and Challengers on dealer lots if you insist on having one in your muscle car.