The 5.7 Hemi V8 once defined the modern Dodge Charger’s accessible muscle, but the next generation is leaving that middle ground behind. You are now choosing between high output six‑cylinder turbos, full electric power, or a limited run of fire‑breathing V8s, with no modest Hemi bridging the gap. For shoppers, that means rethinking what “entry level” performance looks like and deciding how much nostalgia you are really willing to pay for.
Dodge is betting that if you want cylinders, you want serious power, and if you want efficiency, you will accept batteries or boosted sixes. The new Charger’s lineup is built around that premise, and the absence of the 5.7 Hemi is not an oversight so much as a deliberate reshaping of the brand’s performance ladder.
From everyman Hemi to all‑or‑nothing V8
For years, the 5.7 Hemi V8 gave you a relatively attainable way into V8 Charger ownership, sitting below the wilder Scat Pack and Hellcat trims. That formula is gone. In interviews highlighted in short clips, you can hear Tim Kisc explain that a new V8 Dodge Charger is not coming in the way fans expect, and that the brand is moving away from a broad spread of eight‑cylinder options. Instead of a gentle step up from V6 to 5.7, you are pushed to choose between advanced six‑cylinder or electric setups and a very small slice of ultra‑high‑output V8s.
The logic is spelled out even more bluntly when the head of Dodge performance, Tim Kuniskis, is quoted saying there will be no 5.7 Hemi for the new car and that if a Charger has a Hemi, it will effectively be a Hellcat or nothing. That stance is echoed in a broader piece that frames the decision as “Hellcat or Bust,” arguing that a mid‑pack V8 would dilute the brand’s new performance hierarchy and confuse buyers who now see the Hemi badge as shorthand for the wildest models. When you factor in emissions rules and internal cost pressures, the 5.7 simply does not fit the new strategy.
SIXPACK and electric: the new Charger backbone
Instead of a small‑block V8, your primary gas option is a family of twin‑turbo inline‑six engines branded as SIXPACK. Dealer materials describing the next generation explain that Dodge introduced the 2025 Charger with a mix of electric Daytona models and new combustion powertrains, positioning the SIXPACK as the core of the gas lineup rather than a sideshow to a V8. One overview of next‑generation powertrains notes that the brand is replacing larger, gas‑guzzling V8 engines in search of better efficiency while still delivering serious output. That same guide stresses that Dodge knew it had to keep performance front and center, which is why the highest output models come with two electric motors or the most aggressive SIXPACK tune.
On the electric side, you are offered the Charger Daytona, a battery‑powered coupe that tries to merge muscle‑car cues with EV torque. A separate breakdown of future engine options frames the question directly as “Does Dodge Make an All Electric Muscle Car,” underscoring how central the EV variant is to the Charger’s future identity. Another dealer explainer titled “Will There Be a Gas Powered Charger” confirms that, following the Charger Daytona, Dodge is indeed rolling out gas‑powered variants with a sportier two‑door design.
Inside the SIXPACK: serious power without eight cylinders
If you are worried that losing two cylinders means losing character, the SIXPACK specs are designed to calm you down. Official material on the new inline‑six describes it as Fitted with twin turbos running 22 psi of peak boost, an engine‑mounted intercooler, cast‑aluminum pistons and a 10.4 to 1 compression ratio, all tuned to deliver up to 468 pound‑feet of torque in certain trims. A separate corporate page on the same engine family reinforces that this is the i6 powering the new Dodge Charger, and it is presented as a direct successor to the old big‑cube V8s in terms of performance, if not cylinder count, with the SIXPACK branding splashed across Dodge’s muscle‑car pages.
On the retail side, you can see how this translates into actual cars. One dealer breakdown of the 2025 Dodge Charger SIXPACK explains that the Charger SIXPACK features an advanced all‑wheel‑drive system to put that torque down, while another comparison of 2026 versus 2025 Chargers notes that the newer model introduces gas‑powered SIXPACK twin‑turbo powertrains producing between 496 and 670 horsepower. A launch video for the all‑new 2026 Dodge Charger Scat spells it out even more clearly, touting a SIXPACK H.O. engine with 550 horsepower and 531 lb‑ft of torque. In other words, the “serious power option” in the new Charger is no longer a mid‑range Hemi, it is a boosted six that outguns many old V8s.
Where the Hemi goes instead
Dropping the 5.7 from the Charger does not mean Dodge is done with Hemis altogether. A corporate blog from a major dealer group reports that Production of these engines will resume in August 2025, making them available in select 2026 Dodge and Ram models, with expectations that they will account for 25–40 % of sales in some lineups. A separate Canadian dealer blog celebrates that the V8 HEMI Returns for the 2026 Ram 1500, giving truck buyers back the familiar 5.7‑liter V8. Another detailed breakdown of the Ram pickup confirms that the legendary Ram 1500 5.7 HEMI V8 is returning for 2026 with the same specs as the 2024 model.
Performance‑car fans, however, are being nudged toward a different kind of Hemi experience. An enthusiast Instagram post notes that Dodge officially announced the return of the legendary Hemi V‑8 for the Charger, but with a crucial caveat: the 5.7L Hemi is not coming back for the new car, and the V8 will instead live in limited, high‑dollar variants alongside its electric Daytona models. A deeper feature on the new Charger’s Hemi strategy explains that if you are asking “That Dodge Charger Got a Hemi In It?”, the answer is yes only if it is a Hellcat, with the piece framed around Lessons Learned From and how Kuniskis sees the Hemi as a halo, not a volume engine. That is why another analysis of production plans notes that While many enthusiasts are screaming for a V8 in the new Dodge Charger, you should NOT expect the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 to appear under its hood, because that powertrain option would sit in an odd spot between the SIXPACK and the top Hemi cars.
How tariffs, EV headwinds and “serious power” shape your choice
Your options are also being shaped by forces outside the engine bay. A corporate news release from Stellantis North America outlines how the company is juggling Charger production, and a later update on tariffs and EV demand explains that the brand has paused certain Charger Daytona R/T trims and delayed some Ram EVs, citing the tariff situation and slower‑than‑expected uptake. That report notes that with a car so ingrained in muscle‑car culture thanks to the Hemi V‑8, reinventing the Charger as the all‑electric Dodge Charger Daytona was always going to be a long shot for brisk sales. That reality helps explain why the company is leaning so hard on the SIXPACK as a bridge between old‑school sound and new‑school efficiency, and why it is reserving the Hemi for the most profitable, attention‑grabbing trims.
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