It’s not often that automakers can do a surprise drop these days. From everyone having a cell phone camera to photograph prototypes testing out in the wild to a barrage of leaks, the element of surprise has proved rather elusive over the past few years. So, consider this a surprise: Dodge has teased an unveiling on Friday, and it sure sounds like a possible new Hellcat model is in the works.
Engines aren’t often celebrities these days, but the Hellcat engine is different. When it was first unveiled for 2015, this supercharged 6.2-liter 707-horsepower V8 instantly became a household name for brawny American speed. It was Earth-shattering output from a normal car brand, which is why just about everyone from your uncle to the Soundcloud rapper your little cousin was listening to was talking about it. While the infamous motor was killed off in the Charger and Challenger after 2023, it’s still alive in the Durango, and all the clues Dodge has dropped point towards a resurgence of Hellcat speed.
How about we start with the audio clip Dodge shared on its Instagram broadcast channel? It sounds undeniably like a fly-by clip of a supercharged V8, that deep rumble with a piercing whine overtop. Then there’s the teaser story, which shows a spinning wheel with a Fratzog center cap throwing smoke and rubber off the tire. Finally, the date feels like a major clue, August 8, or 8/08 in M/DD format. That’s the output of the 2018 Challenger SRT Demon on pump gas, but it’s also the start of Roadkill Nights in Detroit, where Dodge has stated it will reveal a new muscle car. All signs point toward some kind of Hellcat announcement, but what could it be?
Let’s run through the possibilities here. The Durango Hellcat is the only thing Dodge currently makes with the 6.2-liter supercharged V8, but there’s never officially been a Durango Hellcat Redeye. However, the high-output supercharged V8 should fit, and a purple Durango Hellcat was spotted at a film shoot in Detroit last month, as per the Metro Detroit News. Photos from the shoot seem to show fender emblems that aren’t silver, giving this theory some added plausibility.
Less plausible is the unveiling of a Hellcat-powered new Charger. While the Fratzog center caps shown in the teaser point towards the latest Dodge in the portfolio, making the Hellcat powertrain play nice with the new-generation electrical architecture will likely take some time. Sources suggest that Dodge is exploring the feasibility of stuffing the 6.2-liter supercharged V8 into the new Charger’s body, but it seems a bit soon to schedule an unveiling, assuming the project is feasible at all.
Then again, what if the sound clip Dodge shared is synthesized? The electric Charger Daytona Scat Pack already uses speakers to pump out simulated engine sound, and given that it’s been more than a year since the regular electric models were shown to the public, we’re still waiting on the purported 800-volt high-performance variants. With the six-cylinder models already having been unveiled, maybe it’s time to show off the fast electrics.
As it stands, the potential for another Hellcat model is pretty exciting, so I’ll be keeping my eyes glued to the interwebs tomorrow in anticipation of Dodge’s next big move.
(Top graphic credit: Dodge)
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Kuniskis is back in town….
Why does the footer of that screencap say ‘Dodge is a registered trademark of FCA USA’?
The Fratzog was supposed to be for electric models only, with the // used on gas models (like the Hornet). Has that changed?
It’s a Hellcat Hornet! I swear!
Not sure if it fits but it’s worth a try. They wanted to call it the Murder Hornet but legal dept vetoed it.
It needs to be the charger, but might just end up being the return of the TRX.
The one that has mildly hit the news, but should be noted here is the Gladiator 392 Jeep. I hope they beef up the frame and make better towing rear axles standard so you can tow your offroad jeep with another jeep comfortably. 3/4 ton Gladiator?
wait are they doing a 392 Gladiator? I only saw the wrangler (granted, I didn’t look very hard). My instant thought was, I wonder if they will do a Gladiator?
The Drive is reporting a 392 Gladiator in the works.
https://www.thedrive.com/news/jeep-gladiator-392-v8-confirmed-wrangler-392-continuing-indefinitely
Which isn’t surprising since they already have a Wrangler 392 albeit it is 100k so fuck that noise haha.
If it ends up being a hotter Durango, it’ll remind me of the time Ford slapped an ST badge on an…Edge. What a slap in the face after cancelling the Focus and Fiesta models.
I’m not even sure I care if the Hemi ever returns to the Charger, let alone a Hellcat version. The Hurricane looks like more than enough power for that car. The problem is, in 2025, a sedan cannot be your most compelling product, unfortunately (and I’d argue it is). Ditch the Whorenet and come out with an SUV or two that the average consumer can afford and enjoy.
Factory Supercharged V8s are sooooo 2015. Boo
A lot of haters here, but personally I would find an 800 hp AWD SUV compelling, even if it doesn’t exactly break new ground.
it would be something if it were entirely new for dodge. like say a fullsize Ramcharger SUV built on the Wagoneer base, which we already know accepts the 392 NA.
https://i0.wp.com/moparinsiders.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/2021-Ram-TRX-RamCharger-Design-1.jpg?fit=1480%2C830&ssl=1
https://cdn.motor1.com/images/mgl/npo81/s1/modern-dodge-ramcharger-rendering.jpg
Very funny you mention that:
https://www.theautopian.com/heres-the-first-photo-of-the-new-jeep-grand-wagoneer-which-is-almost-certainly-a-range-extender-hybrid/
I would very much be interested in a Hellcat Durango if I were a new car buyer. And I know my wife would be fully on board. She would love to have something that silly as her daily. But I honestly hope its a Charger, remote as that may be.
Regardless of what it actually IS, it will be swathed in absolutely cringe-worthy marketing, I guarantee.
It’s almost certainly going to be a Durango variant with EVEN MOAR POWER and possibly the ability to roll coal now that the EPA may as well not exist.
But maybe Stellantis will surprise us with a Hellcat Pacifica. Or a Hellcat Masarati Ghibli with a RIDICULOUS power bulge in the hood that you basically can’t see over. Stuff a Hellcat into a Gran Sport and call it the Cordoba. Slam a RAM 1500 down to the ground, cram in a Hellcat engine and WIN the street truck market.
But it’ll probably just be a lame-ass SUV. Because gods forbid we have anything cool anymore.
I so want this to be the answer! It won’t be, but I still want it.
I’m guessing it’s another “version” of the durango, so basically nothing new.
Although another guess would be a street-truck TRX. Basically an updated SRT-10. To get a running demo out they’d just need to work out a suspension and some custom appearance stuff, and the Fratzog badges might be how they’d try to bridge the “Ram is not a Dodge” thing.
Something like that might be kind of cool if Dodge was doing literally anything else besides sticking the same engine in stuff for a decade.
God, Dodge is so short sighted. “We’re just going to shove V8s into everything and charge $100,000”
Why don’t they have a badge engineered version of the Jeep Compass, Grand Cherokee, Wagoneer and upcoming Cherokee? Where is the Journey replacement, which was killed 5 years ago? They should have a line up of five or more crossovers/SUVs from small to extra large and compete hard on value and style/attitude, that’s their market. They should be the American equivalent of Kia.
Dodge offers three vehicles:
Hornet: an overpriced small cross-over with highly questionable reliability
Charger: an overpriced electric large coupe motivated by the wrong powertrain for the target demographic (sure an I6 and 4-door are coming, but when? the EV coupe has been out for 3/4 year and there still aren’t ICE 4-doors available for sale)
Durango: an ANCIENT large unibody SUV that they plan to sell for 17 YEARS!!! (2011-2028)
I don’t care if Dodge sticks around, honestly I have zero interest in anything Stellantis sells, but it just seems like they’ve wasted the last ~4 years…roughly as long as Carlos Tavares (Jon Lovitz) was in power.
The ICE Charger was supposed to be ready this spring. It’s now August and all we have on it are trim names and a video of one filming a commercial in downtown Detroit…
Well, we are talking about Stellantis. If they do anything correctly, hell would be freezing over!
What if they are rebadging the Pacifica and bringing back the Caravan with a new engine!
A mid-engine Caravan Hellcat would probably outsell the Hornet
A Caravan without an engine would probably outsell the Hornet.
Its not often a comment here actually makes me full on laugh out loud. Well done sir, well done.
What we need is a modern hellcat aries. Just a basic boxy mid-sized sedan for the family… with way too much hp.
And a standard map light
Don’t care. Bought 2 Chrysler products and they were the worst vehicles I have ever owned.
I don’t understand how anyone can get excited for this shit anymore. It was neat and unique in the 20 teens, and I’ll begrudgingly give Dodge some credit for creating a sports car that really tapped into the cultural zeitgeist and broke barriers down, because the Hellcat did just that. It found its way into popular culture in a way that not many cars do.
…but this is all you’ve got? Continuing to shove a ten year old engine into everything? You can pick up an older Hellcat that’s in acceptable condition for the cost of an average new car these days. This powertrain isn’t really rare or that unique anymore. I probably see a Hellcat of some form or another once a week here in DC, usually being an absolute menace to everyone in its vicinity.
No one is coming for your V8s, no one was ever coming for your V8s, no one will ever come for your V8s. The end. I’m more interested in info related to the straight 6 Charger because it’s actually new and interesting.
You outta see MoparInsiders dude. People there actually believe that!
Many there also seem to think the only way CDJR survives is, and I’m not kidding you, is to only sell high priced V8 products. Say, if they unveiled a $35,000 Cherokee Hybrid? “They’ll lose money on the whole project; you can’t make money at that price point!”
They’re that daft.
It gets tiring trying to explain what should be simple and obvious business matters to far too many uranium-dense gear heads who one would think should have a better understanding of what is such a large part of their lives.
I disagree. I think the V8 and Hellcat moves do two things.
Hot rods have been around since the 40s basically. And people today are still building exactly the same hot rods that were built in the 40s. Yeah, they build them differently as well, but they still build them like that. The “shove a v8 in it and go fast” crowd is multigenerational. By continuing to offer such, I believe Mopar is acknowledging their fanbase, who treasure the v8 history of the company, by showing them they are listening to their desires for the brands.
Two, this is NOT about tomorrow. Everyone who claims to be a business genius and then claims that this is clearly a stupid move is not the business genius they claim to be. This is LOW HANGING FRUIT. No EPA, all the bits and bobs on hand, they are building what their customer wants today out of stuff they have today. The effort necessary to get these market viable is comparatively minimal and damn near guaranteed cash up front, which they can use right now. Doing this today buys them time to roll out tomorrow.
In no way do I believe that this is the extent of Filosa and Kuniskis plan. But from a cost/benefit perspective, this is the smartest set of moves they could possibly make.
Maybe they should come out with a Helldog version. That way, people could speculate that Cerberus is taking Chrysler private again.
For the record, I will allow them to enter the gates after departing Charon’s boat and prevent them from leaving, but I want nothing else to do with them.
They should go sail away, go sail away, go sail away from meeeeee….
This is what happens when you name a “capital management” firm after a 3-headed dog that guards the entrance to the gates of HE double hockey sticks!!
Guilt by association!
Enjoy your stay folks, try the veal! lol
I’ve wondered if it was a tongue-in-cheek bit of self-awareness, but I doubt it. They probably just thought naming after a 3-headed dog with an attitude problem* sounded cool.
*I wouldn’t call it a problem, at least not for me!
Either way, any organization that has the terms “capital” or “asset management” in their name doesn’t necessarily bode well for a company that is being bought or taken over.
Someone definitely didn’t see this coming!lol
I’m more interested in seeing if they have any Hornet GLH ideas.
Or if they’ll do a RWD EV Charger.
I think they teased a RWD charger daytona GT as their base model, during its unveil.
Maybe.
I’d wager they’ll do the Banshee too, finally.
We need another SUV with a “GT” emblem. Maybe this one will be a star at the local street take-over.