As the automotive world continues its slow pivot for electric vehicles, the future prospects for large, high-powered internal combustion engines are getting narrower. But instead of mourning the loss of what has been one of the company’s most successful marketing measures, Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis does not seem the least bit concerned that the Hellcat V8 is an endangered species.
“The days of a 6.2 liter V-8 supercharged with an iron block are numbered,” said Kuniskis CNBC during a recent video interview. “They are absolutely numbered because of all compliance costs. But the performance that these vehicles generate is not numbered. “
It is this last part that is most fascinating: Hellcat’s days are numbered, not because consumers don’t want them, but it will be reduced to these engines being regulated and extinguished.
In fact, Kuniskis notes that Hellcat went above and beyond expectations.
“What Hellcat did is far beyond what our initial expectations were, because it is far beyond what a traditional high-quality trim does,” said Kuniskis. “In the past five years or more, we have sold well over 50,000 Hellcats. There are a lot of Hellcats in five years, if you think about the price of that car. “
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Kuniskis compares this situation in the late 1970s, when The Powers That Be began to regulate muscle cars, but he hopes it won’t take decades to recover this time.
Part of this will boil down to reinventing what the name Hellcat means, largely starting a transition from combustion engines in particular and emphasizing overall performance. It is a bold concept, since most car enthusiasts will have a hard time separating “Hellcat” from “big, robust engine”. But I have to admit, highlighting performance in some cases, and not just the economy, will be an important factor in attracting the same enthusiasts on board electric vehicles.
There isn’t a strict schedule yet, but when the name Hellcat ends up in an EV, don’t say that Kuniskis didn’t tell you.