The current Dodge Charger got off to a rocky start, launching with electric power when the nameplate is synonymous with burbling V8s, but parent company Stellantis plans to right that wrong.
In addition to the twin-turbocharged 3.0-litre ‘Hurricane’ petrol inline six added to the Charger line this year, The Detroit Free Press reports word from Stellantis that V8 power is coming back.
Not only that, but the Charger will pack the most explosive V8 of its predecessor: the supercharged 6.2-litre Hellcat V8.
In the last Charger, this produced 527kW of power and 881Nm of torque, or 594kW and 959Nm in the Redeye. Even the most potent electric Charger Daytona currently produces 470kW and 850Nm, with the Hurricane six topping out at 410kW and 720Nm.
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Stellantis had confirmed in an Investor Day presentation last week that the Charger would receive an SRT variant, but it confirmed to media in a behind-the-scenes preview at the design dome of its Auburn Hills, Michigan HQ that this SRT variant will feature the legendary Hellcat V8.
The new performance flagship will reportedly be distinguished from other Chargers by more aggressive front-end styling with a prominent bonnet scoop, as well as a huge rear wing which The Detroit Free Press said harks back to the Plymouth Superbird and original Dodge Charger Daytona.
It’s due on sale before 2030, along with a new sports car called the Copperhead which will also be offered in an SRT variant.
While selected media were given a preview of the vehicle, as with the new Charger SRT no photos were allowed to be taken. The single published teaser shows what appears to be a two-door coupe with a long bonnet and a huge rear wing.
Tim Kuniskis, Stellantis’ head of American brands, SRT Performance, and North American marketing, told The Drive this isn’t simply a variation of the Charger.
Dodge’s large car is currently offered in the US as a sedan or coupe, both with a rear liftback.
“Not the hard points of a Charger. You couldn’t get a Charger with those proportions and that stance because of the multi-energy design of where the battery is encapsulated in the bottom of the car – without cheating,” explained Mr Kuniskis, confirming the vehicle shown wasn’t a concept car.
He was coy as to what would power the new sports car, which would be Dodge’s first since the Viper.
“It would have a combustion engine. Don’t really know what it would be yet at this point,” he said, confirming it doesn’t necessarily have a V8 or a Hurricane six under the bonnet but that a hybrid V8 powertrain could fit.
“We have some ideas and some things that we’re kicking around. It could be something that you’re not aware of. It could be something that doesn’t exist today.”
“My goal is to have something that would be timeless and somewhat future-proofed.”
In addition to the Dodge Charger and Copperhead, various other North American Stellantis models will receive hot SRT variants including the upcoming Jeep Wrangler Scrambler and Ram Dakota pickup.
SRT is more than just a trim package, however.
“We have very specific rules for SRT and what they have to be for the powertrain, for the interior, for the suspension, for the user experience,” explained Mr Kuniskis, though he said SRT isn’t necessarily synonymous with V8s.
Previous SRT-badged vehicles without a V8 include the Chrysler Crossfire SRT-6 and Dodge Neon SRT-4, with the SRT name first debuting in 2004 and even briefly marketed as a standalone marque.
But in addition to offering more performance, SRT variants have to help drive sales of less powerful vehicles in their respective model lines.
“I wouldn’t take a [Dodge] Hornet with a small internal combustion engine and say, ‘You know what? I’m going to take that and I’m going to make it rear-wheel drive and I’m going to put a V10 in it and it’s going to be awesome’,” he said.
“It’s totally awesome, but it doesn’t help me. It doesn’t do anything. It doesn’t sell other Hornets. It has to trickle down. If it doesn’t trickle down, it’s not going to work.”
Dodge had already been repositioned as an overtly performance-focused brand, losing its Caravan people mover and the similarly tame Journey crossover SUV in 2020.
The focus will remain on performance, with the surviving (and aged) Durango SUV to continue to primarily offer V8 power and a new hot hatch called the GLH to open the range, indirectly replacing the unloved Hornet discontinued earlier this year and riding the new STLA One architecture.
“We know this playbook. We wrote this playbook. Dodge will literally be back on track, literally and figuratively, by the end of the plan, and Dodge will be restored to its proper position, and we will recover the number one selling muscle car title,” said Mr Kuniskis during the Stellantis Investor Day presentation.
“Now sure, a Dodge can get you from point A to point B, just like a Chrysler, but the trip will make a point. It will make a statement about the person behind the wheel along the way.
“Dodge buyers are different because Dodge works when it’s not pretending. Dodge works when it’s being honest and true to what it should be, powerful, rebellious, authentic, and muscular.”
To appeal to more mainstream buyers, the Chrysler lineup will be expanded to include a new medium-to-large crossover SUV, the Airflow, plus the smaller and more affordable Arrow and Arrow Cross which will be rebadged versions of the Fiat Grizzly.
Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles are predominantly sold alongside each other at dealerships.
Dodge exited the Australian market in 2016 without ever having brought iconic V8-powered models like the Charger and Challenger to this market, and there’s no sign of it returning to attract former owners of homegrown FPV and HSV vehicles or the defunct Chrysler 300 SRT.
The brand had been expanded to myriad global markets in the 2000s, but has largely receded from outside of North America in the intervening years. Outside of that continent, Dodge currently only sells vehicles in the United Arab Emirates.