However, there's a catch: it's electric. It flexes its muscles with voltage and not fuel vapor.
"For Dodge in particular, you think about their brand. All the muscle cars and burning rubber and everything else. Yes, the EV is faster, but it doesn't give you that emotive appeal which their customers love," said Alistair Weaver, the editor-in-chief at Edmunds.com.
Soon, there will be a gasoline version of the Charger with six powerful turbocharged cylinders. Beyond that, Dodge hasn't said a V8 is coming back as well, but it hasn't said a V8 isn't coming back either, with company officials saying things like "stay tuned."
The showroom mate Durango SUV is still running eight cylinders for 2026, so Dodge hasn't stopped being a V8 brand at all, making a Hemi-powered Charger quite likely.
In reality, there are just certain vehicles where most customers seem to still be insisting on the rumble of eight cylinders. Mercedes-Benz now offers a fully-electric G-wagon, introduced last year. But they wisely didn't drop the V8 version of this iconic SUV, which was probably a good move.
According to Edmunds, in the first six months of this year, Mercedes-Benz sold 1,290 G 580s - that's the EV version. But they sold 4,250 V8-powered ones, between the G 500 and the G 63 AMG.
It may come down partly to the sound. The G 63 AMG plays a distinctive tune when you stomp on the accelerator pedal.
"You don't buy a G-Wagon as a sensible choice. You buy a G-Wagon because you want to feel like a superhero every time you nip to the local supermarket," noted Weaver.
In reality, a V8 is not a necessity these days, even in a big vehicle. Ford has built millions of full-size pickups and SUVs with their very capable EcoBoost twin-turbo V6 engines. In fact, the big Ford Expedition hasn't had a V8 in years, even as an option.
But the Ram truck brand is reversing course, after dropping the V8 on the 1500 for 2025 and only offering it with six-cylinder power. The Hemi V8 has come back for 2026, orders have poured in, and V8-powered Ram 1500s are once again on their way to dealerships.
Other V8 engines are saying farewell, probably for good.
This year appears to be the swan song for the Lexus IS 500 F-Sport with eight cylinders - a compact sedan that burst on the scene back in 2008 (as the IS-F) with its abundance of thumping power.
It is most likely no more after the 2025 model year, as Lexus has been silent on the model's future, and it's not among their 2026 model year vehicles official Lexus websites.