Surprise (Not Really): The Hemi V8 Dodge Charger and Challenger Are Officially Dead

But you saw that coming, didn't you?

Dodge Challenger Hellcat Hemi - Redeye pictured
(Image: TFL Studios)

Not terribly surprising news, but sad for Hemi fans nonetheless.

  • The next-generation Dodge Challenger and Charger will indeed go electric only.
  • Earlier reports that the Hemi V8 would stick around for awhile longer are incorrect, says a Stellantis spokesperson.
  • We should see more news on Dodge’s next-gen electric vehicles in the near future.

Do you know how long the existing Dodge Challenger and Charger models have been around? Go ahead and take a moment look it up — I’ll wait.

Yep, the Challenger has been around since 2008, and the LX platform on which it and the Charger ride date all the way back to 2005. Both are still tremendously popular, though, and that’s in large part down to just what the automaker’s done with the legendary Hemi V-8 over the decades.

Still, as times are a-changing as the world inevitably moves toward electric cars, and one Dodge spokesperson told Motor1 that the Hemi will soon meet its end. “The Hemi in that platform, as well as that platform, are going away. The next generation will be BEV.” That spokesperson made the statement in response to an earlier Motor Trend article stating the V-8 would continue on. Instead, we’re looking at Dodge taking on a purely electric future.

What can you expect?

Dodge’s revelation of an electric muscle car isn’t new, as they first announced it last year. Brand CEO Tim Kuniskis previously hinted that internal combustion may not end with the current LX platform’s demise, but per this most recent statement that is not to be.

It’s not Stellantis’ style to send such significant cars out without a bang, though. As an enthusiast, I hope (and more or less expect) to see some awesome display of raw power and godly exhaust note before the brand moves fully into BEVs. So, if you want to pick up the last years of an icon, you should have through the 2023 model year to make it happen.

Here’s a silver lining: As fantastically fast as the current crop of Hellcats are, going electric will undoubtedly make tomorrow’s Dodge’s even faster based on our EV experience.