Days of the V8 Engine Are Numbered, Says Dodge
It’s no shock to be told, in 2021, that in the near-future gasoline engines will start to disappear from the landscape. Nor is it much of a surprise to hear that V8s will be the first to go. But when you hear it from the CEO of an automaker that still relies heavily on those big guns, you sit up and pay heed.
That's what happened last week when Dodge big boss Tim Kuniskis told CNBC that the days of supercharged V8 engines are numbered. Our first thoughts race to the Hellcat engine, but that includes all strengths of 8-cylinder units.
Not that performance cars are going anywhere – they’ll be relying for their power on electric powertrains, which are more than up to the task. But the feeling will never be the same.
It’s worth noting that the disappearance of Hellcat engines and others like it won’t happen because of flagging demand. The models that currently use them, the Challenger and Charger, continue to sell very well. Kuniskis pointed out that over the past five years, his company sold more than 50,000 vehicles equipped with this engine.
Instead, he attributes the eventual demise of the V8 engines to upgrade costs, particularly the need to modify them to comply with new and upcoming emissions regulations. We need only think of the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat. It is in the Dodge lineup this year, but it won’t be next year – and the only reason is that in 2022 it will no longer comply with the rules that will be applicable to it.
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