Dodge CEO Matt McAlear has all however confirmed what we already suspected. The American carmaker is leaning again into combustion-powered vehicles, and a Hemi V-8-powered Charger may be very a lot again on the desk.

Whereas McAlear did not outright substantiate rumors of the V-8’s return to the Charger, it was closely implied. When requested throughout a press convention whether or not a Hellcat V-8 would slot in the engine bay, McAlear merely replied, “Do not be stunned if it might match.”

The assertion represents a shift in messaging from Dodge. A consultant for the model beforehand instructed Jalopnik in 2024 that the Hemi couldn’t bodily match contained in the engine bay. Because it seems, that wasn’t completely correct.

“That is the fantastic thing about this platform,” McAlear added. “Some can say we’re fortunate, some can say we’re sensible. We didn’t commit to 1 expertise, one powertrain. Lots went into this platform from the start to have the ability to evolve over time and flex with shopper demand and adjustments in regulatory [policy].”

With the Trump administration stripping basically all EPA regulation and enforcement, automakers now have free rein to return to gas-guzzling engines with out worry of being penalized. Dodge’s sister model Ram has already taken that step, asserting the Hemi’s return to the 1500 pickup truck.

“With the change within the administration, it is no secret that we’re completely flexing into ICE manufacturing proper now,” McAlear mentioned. “However we’re not strolling away from the ability, the efficiency, and the thrill that battery electrical supplies.”

Whereas Dodge has not signaled any plans to drop the Charger Daytona EV, faltering gross sales pressured the model to speed up improvement of the straight-six-powered Charger Sixpack. That automobile, which was initially presupposed to go on sale in 2026, will now hit sellers beginning within the fourth quarter of this yr. It’s going to even be about 10 grand cheaper than the EV, with a beginning worth of $51,990.

It is unclear how a lot a V-8-powered Charger would price, although contemplating the V-8 within the 2026 Ram 1500 is only a $1,200 choice, we’re not anticipating an enormous delta. As for when a Hemi-powered Charger can arrive, we suspect sooner reasonably than later. Stellantis execs have seen demand for the Hemi Ram explode, so that they’ll possible wish to capitalize on that by way of different areas of the enterprise. Anticipate an official announcement earlier than the top of the yr.