Yahoo Autos Dodge CEO Says Hellcat V-8's Days Are 'Numbered'
The golden age of big internal-combustion power is coming to a close. In an interview with CNBC, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis said that the Hellcat engine is on its way out.
"The days of an iron-block supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 are numbered," Kuniskis said. "They're absolutely numbered because of all the compliance costs. But the performance that those vehicles generate is not numbered."
That iron-block supercharged 6.2-liter V-8 powers everything from the Challenger SRT Hellcat Redeye to the Ram 1500 TRX and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk. It's become a core part of the Fiat Chrysler (now Stellantis) lineup, so the Dodge CEO publicly confirming that its days are numbers is monumental.
Of course, his comments don't rule out continuing to sell V-8s like the 5.7-liter naturally aspirated engine that serves as the volume motor for the Ram 1500. A V-8 Wrangler is coming, too, without a supercharger. Hellcat V-8s, though, are an endangered species. The good news is, according to Kuniskis, the plan is to keep offering similar levels of performance using powerful electric motors.
In the interview, Kuniskis compared the current Golden Age of Muscle Cars to the first one in the Sixties. Those cars died out quickly starting around 1972, due to the oil crisis, emissions, and insurance, he noted. It took decades to get back to the big power cars, but this time the groundwork is laid to build "Performance 2.0" cars using electric technology.
"I'm super excited about the future of electric because I think it’s what’s going to allow us to not fall off the cliff," he said. "Without that technology, without electrification. This is 1972 right now, this thing is going to end."
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