HOW THE END OF THE ICONIC HEMI V8 ENGINE IS DOWN TO SIMPLE MATHS

Here’s some additional news on a subject close to the hearts of many muscle car enthusiasts. 2024 will be a big year of change for muscle cars and fans of conventional internal combustion engines, and the iconic V8 is on borrowed time.

The Ford Mustang will be returning with the fourth-generation Ford Coyote V8, but the Chrysler Hemi V8 will become phased-out along with the 2023-year models. A shift from eight-cylinder to turbocharged 6-cylinder motors seems nonsensical to fans of the former.

However, RacerX on YouTube has some information gleaned from multiple sources and when put together, it gives a realistic overview of the challenges the V8 faces and why Stellantis, the group that owns Chrysler and Dodge, would want to cancel the Hemi V8.

The Hemi V8 Will Be Gone After The 2023 Model Year

RacerX on YouTube, always forthcoming with news, rumors and theories surrounding Mopar muscle, says that the decision to shift away from V8s does seem illogical given that the V8 is core to the muscle car experience and a fundamental part of the enthusiast culture, but there are bigger things at play.

Fuel efficiency is a big stroke against the Hemi V8, even though enthusiasts tend to take the fuel cost as part of the price to pay. It turns out that due to Dodge’s lineup, they perform badly on the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (C.A.F.E) score across the range and needed to pay significant fines. Just from 2016-2017, the brand was responsible for $128 million in fines.

To keep producing less-fuel-efficient models, the brand, like others, relied on buying zero-emissions vehicle credits from Tesla, RacerX says. This number is in the billions of dollars. Credits like these allow a company to keep selling cars like the Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat. Unfortunately, this practice, along with the fines levied at Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram make Stellantis a little nervous.

What Is The Dodge Hurricane Engine?

As RacerX points out, the European brands under Stellantis such as Peugeot and Citroen have an efficiency focus and generally don’t use the iconic V8, so with the rising costs of credits, fines and decreasing sales numbers it no longer makes financial sense.

So, what does Stellantis propose? In their place, the Hemi V8s will get replaced by the straight-six Hurricane engine. In effect, the Hurricane ostensibly reduces overall fuel consumption while achieving relatively-high power outputs: 420 hp / 468 lb-ft and 510 hp / 500 lb-ft for the high-output variety.

90% availability of torque from only around 2400 rpm is another point in its favor. Watch the entire video for the rest of the explanation that RacerX provides, but it doesn’t need stating that numbers won’t replace character for a lot of muscle car fans, though a reasonable Plan B is getting offered to keep the muscle car alive.

2023-06-10T19:41:12Z dg43tfdfdgfd