Not so long ago, Stellantis looked at the legendary HEMI V8 and decided it belonged in a museum rather than under a hood. It was 2023, and under the strict, electrification-obsessed regime of former CEO Carlos Tavares, Dodge committed what many purists considered ultimate brand heresy. They axed the V8, leaving the iconic Charger and Challenger out in the cold, replaced by battery packs and a straight-six Hurricane engine that felt like an apologetic band-aid.
To make matters worse, they tried to soothe the grieving fanbase with the Charger Daytona EV, a 670-horsepower electric heavy-weight that attempted to fake a V8 roar through a synthesized speaker system called the Fratzonic Chambered exhaust. Unsurprisingly, the internet erupted in fury. Not only did the fake exhaust sound like a vacuum cleaner, but the flagship EV was instantly humiliated by the actual V8-powered Ford Mustang GTD and its monstrous 815 HP.
In December 2024, Tavares abruptly exited stage left, leaving a trail of disgruntled dealerships and furious muscle car enthusiasts. Enter the new era: Antonio Filosa took the reins in 2025, and more importantly, Tim Kuniskis made a triumphant return.
Kuniskis immediately realized that pretending an EV is a muscle car is like serving a tofu steak at a Texas barbecue. Activating emergency damage control, he resurrected the Street and Racing Technology division and brought the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI back to life, first in the Ram 1500 TRX SRT and now, crucially, for Dodge.
The Detroit Free Press recently caught a glimpse behind the curtain of Stellantis’s desperate 20-car redemption plan, confirming that the V8 savior is officially returning. A new generation Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat is slated for a 2028 debut, packing a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI expected to push well over 700 HP.
It might not eclipse the mind-melting 1,025 HP of the legendary, E85-guzzling Challenger Demon 170 that served as the V8’s original 2023 swan song, but it proves one thing: you can’t force-feed electricity to an audience that bleeds gasoline.
