Dodge Brings Back The Hemi V8

It’s no secret ditching the Hemi V8 for the Dodge lineup has been a colossal mistake for the brand. But with parent company Stellantis without its former CEO, who reportedly was the only one wanting to kill off the Hemi, it looks like the Hemi is making a comeback.

Classic Shelby Cobra wrecks on the freeway and the outcome isn’t pretty.

As you might have already guessed, there’s a catch to the Hemi V8 returning. Sadly, it’s only for one model year, 2025, and for only one model line, the Durango. But there is some good news, so don’t give up hope.

In its official press release announcing the continuation of Hemi-powered Durangos, including the Hellcat, Dodge admitted the move was “due in part to market demand and customer feedback.” Yeah it was, as Dodge has watched sales tank while the Mustang has been cleaning up, thanks to it being the last V8-powered American muscle car.

Quite frankly, every Mopar fan and everyone inside the halls of Dodge should be fighting mad, relentlessly pushing for Hemi V8s to fill the entire lineup moving forward. That’s right, even as much as we hate the Hornet, make a Hell Hornet and make Dodge great again.

Dodge has been selling Hemi-powered Durangos since 2004, so to suddenly stop just because some guy in Europe thinks he knows better is a disgrace. We think a lot of people have been hoarding their V8 cars, trucks, and SUVs, preparing for the worst as killjoys want to make cars weak, throw-away appliances.

There have been dirty rumors swirling around that the new Dodge Chargers, which will come with an inline-six Hurricane engine or an all-electric powertrain, can in fact accommodate a V8 under the hood.

Nobody has been able to definitely prove that’s true, especially since not a single car has been sold. But perhaps engineers within Dodge, hopeful a turning of events would allow the return of the V8, made accommodations in the design so such a thing could be done without making structural changes. We’ll perhaps see soon enough if the rumors are hopeful thinking or based on reality.

Image via Stellantis