We know that electric cars will eventually make the combustion engine obsolete. Some automakers are faster, others slower. Dodge has always been a safe haven for V8 power. But that will change when the next generation of the Charger and Challenger comes onto the market. Even if the latest rumors claim otherwise.
In an email to Motor1.com a Dodge spokesman confirmed that the next generation of cars will not only lose the Hemi V8, but all combustion engines. engine trend had written in a story that the Hemi would come for the future charger and Challenger models return. But that’s not true, the next generation is purely electric.
“The story is false,” said the spokesman. “The Hemi in this platform and the platform itself will disappear. The next generation will be a BEV.”
The current platform is called LX; that’s the layout for Chrysler’s full-size, rear-wheel-drive model of 2005. Current models use modified versions of the platform — LD for the Charger and LA in the Challenger — that pair the V6 and V8 engines with the eight-speed automatic transmission receive.
It’s no secret that Dodge is working on an electric muscle car. The car was announced last year and is to be presented as a study in the next few weeks. The concept car will preview the production model, which is currently slated for 2024. But how Motor1.com reported, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis has indicated that its launch will not mean the immediate demise of the internal combustion engine. According to Kuniskis, the new electric platform could coexist with the current platform for a while longer. We now know that the phasing out of the Charger and Challenger means the end of the V8 sound at Dodge.
If consolation is needed for V8 fans: After rumors (about the Motor1.com reported) the V8 is dismissed with a mighty roar: A new version of the supercharged Hellcat engine running on bio-alcohol fuel (E85) could bring the Challenger 900 hp before electromobility takes over.