Is a Supercharged Hemi Charger Coming in 2028? Dodge’s Own Numbers Sure Make It Look That Way

The current Charger has never had a V8. If a Stellantis powertrain planning sheet now circulating among Mopar diehards is real, that changes with the 2028 model year.

The document, which Dodge hasn’t acknowledged, lists the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi for both the two-door and four-door Charger. It pairs the engine with ZF’s heavy-duty 8HP95 eight-speed automatic and lists it as rear-wheel drive only. Treat that as a plan, not a promise, because product plans get rewritten constantly. Dodge’s official Charger lineup from August still tops out with the 600-hp Super Bee Launch Edition, the 550-hp Scat Pack, and the 670-hp electric Daytona Scat Pack.

Even so, everything Stellantis has published itself points the same way.

The parts bin is already stocked

Stellantis doesn’t need to bring the Hellcat engine back from the dead, because it never fully died. The 2027 Ram 1500 press kit lists the supercharged 6.2 at 777 hp and 680 lb-ft. It’s bolted to an 8HP95 in both the TRX and the street-focused Rumble Bee SRT. The same kit pairs Ram’s Hurricane sixes with the lighter 8HP75.

That split matters. The gearbox named in the Charger document is the one Stellantis already trusts behind 680 lb-ft. Engineering a transmission to survive Hellcat torque is expensive. Borrowing one that already survives it is not. The TRX is also now coming off the line at Sterling Heights, so the engine has a live production stream and supply base to spread costs across.

Why rear-drive only?

Every Charger sold today comes standard with all-wheel drive. Dropping the front axle for the V8 car suggests a fight for space under the hood. A blown Hemi is wider and taller than an inline-six. It carries a supercharger in the valley and an intercooler with its own coolant loop. Threading a front differential and half-shafts past all of that is a different problem on a platform engineered around a slim six and electric motors.

For buyers, rear-drive should mean less weight and more tail-out personality. It also means two rear tires handle every horsepower Dodge decides to give it. Budget for rubber accordingly.

The numbers that changed minds

Stellantis’ Q3 sales report tells the story:

Gas Chargers sold 3,446 units in the quarter. The electric Daytona sold 233.
Year to date, the gap is 8,029 to 767.
The Durango, which Dodge now sells with Hemi V8s, had its best third quarter since 2005 at 22,755 units.

Dodge’s showroom is telling its product planners exactly what pays the bills.

Washington removed a hurdle too. The 2025 budget law set civil penalties for missing federal fuel-economy standards to zero. The standards still exist, but ignoring them now costs nothing. That makes a thirsty, low-volume halo car much easier to justify in a boardroom.

What owners and shoppers should know

Gas-guzzler tax. The TRX and Durango dodge this one. The Charger can’t, because the EPA’s guzzler tax applies only to passenger cars, not trucks or SUVs. A Hellcat Charger that misses the mileage threshold will wear that surcharge on its sticker.

Insurance. In HLDI’s theft report, the previous Charger SRT Hellcat’s whole-vehicle theft claim frequency was more than 60 times the average for 2020–22 models. Underwriters remember badges. A new Hellcat Charger will likely inherit that reputation until its anti-theft hardware proves otherwise, so get a quote before you sign.

Maintenance. A supercharged V8 adds things a twin-turbo six owner never thinks about: a blower belt, tensioner, and isolator, plus an intercooler circuit that hates heat soak. On track days, cooling capacity becomes a real limit. Plan service intervals around how hard you drive it, not just around mileage.

Resale. If the plan holds, today’s Scat Pack and Super Bee buyers will own the second-fastest gas Charger by 2028. That could soften values slightly. A V8 halo could also lift interest in the whole nameplate, which has happened before with Dodge’s supercharged cars.

Bottom line

Dodge launched this Charger by selling six cylinders and batteries as the future. Since then, its customers have voted with their wallets. The engine and transmission are already in production, and the federal fine for building a gas-hungry flagship is gone. Until Dodge says it out loud, a leaked planning sheet is just a planning sheet. This one happens to match every number Stellantis publishes.

Images Via: Dodge

Eve Nowell

Administrator

Eve Nowell writes about cars for Backfire News, and she comes by it honestly—she grew up in a racing family, around engines and pit lanes before she was old enough to drive. That world isn't a beat she picked up; it's just where she's always been. At Backfire News she covers off-roading, classic car culture, motorsports, and the people behind the machines. She writes with the enthusiasm of someone who genuinely loves this stuff, but she's a stickler for getting the details right—the kind of writing that holds up with actual gearheads. She's still early in her career and building her own voice, bringing a fresh take to a world she's known her whole life. Her work runs across racing coverage, truck and off-road culture, collector vehicles, and the wider lifestyle that comes with all of it. When she's not writing, she's usually trackside, out in the garage, or chasing down the next story worth telling.

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