Dodge hasn’t offered a V8-powered Charger since the 2023 model year, but with Ram’s revival of the TRX pickup truck, it was only a matter of time. Industry publication Automotive News recently reported that Stellantis is planning a comeback for the V8 Charger, with the cars arriving in late 2027 for the 2028 model year.
The automaker reportedly plans to produce about 12,000 6.2-liter Hellcat V8-powered cars annually and has also reportedly notified its suppliers. As these things almost always go, Dodge’s parent company, Stellantis, declined to confirm Automotive News’ reports, saying that it “will not comment on future product strategy.”
After cutting the V8 with the end of the previous-generation car, Dodge explored electrification with the Charger Daytona, but sales never caught on. The automaker has sold fewer than 800 of the all-electric Chargers so far this year, a 90% decline from the same period in 2025. Dodge also tried the powerful Hurricane inline-6 engine, but again, the lack of a V8 soured buyers on the car.
It’s worth pointing out that the Charger’s slumping sales have nothing to do with performance numbers. The electric Charger Daytona musters 670 horsepower and a mid-3-second zero-to-60 mph time, while the Hurricane I6 offers up to 550 hp and a 3.9-second zero-to-60 time, so neither variant is slow by modern standards.
Electrification is a tricky road to navigate in the United States. Ford and General Motors have wavered on their commitment to becoming all- or mostly electric automakers, so it’s not surprising to see Stellantis rushing back to the V8 as soon as sales slid and loosening emissions rules allowed for it.
The V8’s absence in Dodge’s lineup left Ford as the sole American muscle car producer, as Chevrolet and General Motors cut the Camaro after the 2024 model year. GM may revive the car with a gas engine lineup soon, but nothing is confirmed.
