Why Doesn’t Stellantis Offer A HEMI® PHEV Engine?

I think a better question to pose is why doesn't Stellantis offer a hybrid V8, not specifically a "Hemi" I've commented in other places that a modern DOHC 5.2L (and/or 5.9L DOHC) V8 forced induction (twin turbo) V8 powertrain could potentially be a decent idea. Not saying that it would happen but it wouldn't be the worst idea in the world for a couple of reasons. For the more emotional reason, the 318ci (5.2L) V8 was one of the engines that really survived during the original EPA vs Muscle car war of the 1970's when we went through pretty much the exact same thing we're going through right now, along with the Slant-6 225ci (3.7L) engine. There was also a 360ci (5.9L) V8 that slipped through the emissions cracks in a Dodge pickup known as the Li'l Red Express that was kind of a Hero engine of it's time. While it would be cool to see a 5.2L V8 and a 5.9L V8 slide in and save the V8's day, the real question is where (and how) would this engine fit in the lineup with the new powertrains coming out? The brand already has a 375hp 2.0L Hybrid, a 420hp 3.0L SO, a 510-550hp 3.0L HO in the lineup so you already have the 5.7L Hemi, 6.1L Hemi and 6.4L Hemi replaced right there. As far as it's American competition, that already beats out anything with a 3.5L HO in Ford's lineup, any of the production 5-Liter vehicles (Mustang GT, Mustang Dark Horse and F150 pickup) and all of the smaller Ecoboost powertrains and outpowers the naturally aspirated 6.2L GM V8 small blocks from the Corvette to the pickup trucks. The only real competition a 318ci V8 would have from Stellantis would be the now-extinct Shelby GT500 mustang and the Ford F150 Raptor R. While that business model would seem to make a bit of sense as it is already a business model that is proven to be working by the blue oval brand, would the price be accessable to most people? The answer to that would be a resounding no. It would be a high-price, low production powertrain similar to a redeye, however with that kind of setup, the power levels could be very similar and with a twin turbo hybrid setup, it would have very low emissions readings coming out of the tailpipes.

On the other end of that equation, you have the upcoming full battery electric powertrains coming into play. Just to guestimate the power of a hybrid twin turbo 5.2L V8 at even the same 760hp that the Ford GT500's 5.2L puts out with more torque because it's a hybrid. That would put it above the Charger EV Daytona 440 Stage-2's 500Kw or 670hp and seeing that we don't know what the Banshee will be putting out (although a safe bet would be somewhere in the vicinity of 884hp since each of the STLA Large EDMs puts out a max of about 442hp and if a tri-motor setup gets a green light, we could see a "1320" package putting down an estimated potential of about 1,326hp on an 800V system which would put even the Lucid Air Sapphire in it's rear view mirror.

While it would be cool and very nostalgic to see this happen and it is mostly a proven business model by the competition, As much as I think alot of us would love to see Stellantis do something like this and have a complete "balance of power" so to speak, the chances are that this is very unlikely for the brand. It's definitely something that could easily work, especially if the brands were cleaned up and repurposed properly with just Dodge and Jeep. But again the likelihood of this happening isn't very high. But, as I've said before, we'll just have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully our beloved brand will pull through and produce a next generation of vehicles that will be profitable and enjoyable and affordable, along with being customizable on all trim levels so that everyone at any level of Dodge ownership can truly have something unique and awesome. Here's hoping!

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It probably has to do with the government forcing the hand of the automakers, but I totally agree with the article. Or Stellantis management is buying into the Elon Musk cult. But whatever it is, we deserve a low stress V8, augmented and made better with some electrification, especially if they can find a way of doing it in a simple and cost-effective way. Even if they downsize the HEMIs a bit, it would still be powerful for most non-SRT applications. I'd like to see a simple in-transmission hybrid with one efficient HVAC system, one method for starting the engine, and a clean engine bay for once. Use electrification to make it better, smoother and more efficient, and not needlessly complicating everything. Maybe this is a glorified start/stop feature that throws away the belt-driven eTorque system. First and second gear could be heavily boosted by the electric motor while smoothly starting the engine again. If you could get lighter batteries, and an efficient and simple HVAC system it would help.

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