The newest Dodge Charger has been a divisive car since its debut a 12 months in the past. Regardless of copious energy and an thrilling (if pretend) Fratzonic propulsion sound, the all-electric Daytona mannequin hasn’t discovered the muscle-crazed consumers the corporate may need hoped. And though there’s the newly revealed Sixpack mannequin on the horizon with as much as 550 horsepower from its twin-turbo inline-six, some Charger followers simply will not be completely satisfied till there is a Hemi again beneath the hood. Because it seems, Dodge appears to be planning simply that. In a dialog with media, CEO Matt McAlear hinted very strongly that the supercharged 6.2-liter Hellcat V8 may certainly match beneath the hood of the sedan and coupe twins, which means the Charger may get one more propulsion choice within the close to future.
Busting Myths About The Hemi V8’s Return
When the Charger and Charger Daytona had been introduced, Dodge representatives claimed that the platform was engineered for the battery-electric powertrain and the new-for-2025 Hurricane inline-six. Actually, Jalopnik reported that even when Dodge wished to, the Hemi V8 merely would not match beneath the hood with out massively redesigning the engine cradle and firewall. However in keeping with Motor1, throughout the aforementioned press convention, McAlear responded to a query concerning the Hellcat V8 with the perplexing, easy assertion, “Do not be stunned if it could match.” For the reason that supercharged mill from the previous-generation Charger Hellcat is even bigger in exterior dimensions, it stands to cause that the 5.7-liter Hemi would additionally match, giving Dodge an excellent cheaper model of the V8 to promote.
McAlear mentioned that one of many largest advantages to the brand new Charger’s modular platform is that it could actually accommodate quite a lot of powertrains, starting from electrical all the best way to yee-haw Hellcat. There may even be a plug-in hybrid, bridging the hole in Dodge’s “Brotherhood of Muscle” between all-American V8 grunt and silent, zero-emissions, EV propulsion – though if the corporate is not able to admit the return of the Hemi, it is definitely not going to cop to a PHEV.
What’s Subsequent For The Charger Daytona EV?
Dodge has had a tough time discovering consumers for the Charger Daytona, providing reductions on the electrical car virtually as quickly because it hit sellers. Since then, the worth cuts have mounted time and time once more, and thru the primary half of the 12 months, the automaker solely discovered 4,299 houses for the two-door – in 2024, the Challenger coupe had racked up greater than 20,000 gross sales in six months. The Daytona EV will in all probability be extra widespread as soon as the four-door mannequin arrives someday earlier than the top of the 12 months, however we doubt gross sales of the gas-free variant will hit as laborious as both the Sixpack or the closely hinted Hemi.
However hopefully Dodge does not pull the plug on the Daytona altogether, particularly since it has been teasing a tri-motor “SRT Banshee” efficiency trim because the automobile’s launch. With an 800-volt electrical system and 900-plus hp on faucet, the Banshee would give Dodge a supremely fast machine that would doubtlessly take the ‘Murican acceleration crown from the Tesla Mannequin S Plaid, which hits 60 miles per hour in 1.9 seconds. In our goals, the SRT Banshee may even eclipse the Porsche Taycan Turbo GT’s staggering 1.7-second dash. However all that is dependent upon Dodge persevering with to develop the Charger Daytona EV alongside the guaranteed-to-be-popular Hemi and Hellcat variations.
Supply: Motor1