Is Dodge About to Drop a V8 Bomb at SEMA? Why the “Purple Concept” Tease Points to a HEMI Return
Dodge/Stellantis just tossed a purple-tinted grenade into the timeline: a SEMA teaser promising “bold lines and serious attitude.” On paper it could be anything. In reality, all signs point to something bigger than another Six Pack color or a dress-up package. If this were merely an i6 “Six Pack” in Plum Crazy, it wouldn’t be billed as a concept—it would be a paint code and a press release. Calling it a concept implies a hardware shift, not a hue, and in Dodge-speak that almost certainly means one thing: a V8 HEMI stuffed into the new Charger/Daytona body.
Why the business logic screams “V8”
Stellantis launches high, then discounts hard. It’s their playbook. You float eye-watering stickers ($70k+ for a well-equipped Six Pack Scat Pack, $95k “sport truck”), scoop the early adopters, and let factory rebates reel in the rest. It also blunts dealer markups: start high, and there’s less oxygen for ADM to run wild.
But there’s a ceiling to how long you can sell “heritage muscle” without the heartbeat that built the house. The Banshee’s momentum fizzled. Daytona EV pre-sales aren’t the stampede enthusiasts imagined. The Six Pack i6 is strong on paper, but the brand’s identity is octane, not kilowatts. If Stellantis wants to reset the narrative heading into 2025, a V8 reveal at SEMA is the single cleanest way to do it.
The teaser tells on itself
Zoom the image and you can make out the Daytona/Six Pack front clip—but nothing that screams R-Wing airflow theater. That leans internal combustion, not battery. And again: concept. You don’t call an existing production body with an existing drivetrain, painted purple, a concept. You call it a build. If Stellantis wanted to stoke real buzz while keeping commitments flexible, they’d do exactly this: show a working mule with a HEMI under the hood, label it a concept, and read the room.
What HEMI are we talking about?
Three realistic lanes:
- 5.7 HEMI (R/T) – The easiest, quickest “it fits, it runs” proof of life. Even detuned, the headline is the same: V8 returns to the new Charger.
- Supercharged 5.7 / Special “Concept Tune” – The SEMA way to over-promise without committing to a final spec. Show the wild one, sell the attainable one later.
- “New-Gen” HEMI Preview – Least likely in the near term (validation, emissions, crash-cert timing), but the ultimate mic drop if they’re truly pivoting the powertrain roadmap.
The smart money is on option 1 or a show-spec 1.5—big enough to ignite the base, pragmatic enough to build.
Timing is perfect, by design
By early November, the Six Pack should be trickling onto lots. Dropping a V8 concept at SEMA won’t cannibalize launch buzz; it elevates it. Dodge can sell Six Packs now, let the HEMI concept marinate, and—crucially—watch the market reaction before locking production mixes for 2026. Even if the SEMA car is Demon-levels of theater, delivering any HEMI within 12–18 months keeps the promise intact.
The dealer markup chess move
If Dodge introduced a budget-friendly V8 first, dealers would slap $10–$20k on the windshield and keep the margin, not the manufacturer. By debuting high-MSRP i6 cars first and saving the crowd-pleaser V8 for later, Stellantis keeps pricing power. When rebates inevitably appear, they’ll flow from the factory, not the showroom, moving metal without fueling ADM headlines.
What to watch at SEMA
- Badging/language. If they avoid “Six Pack” on the concept, that’s a tell they’re drawing a clean HEMI line.
- Exhaust and underhood shots. If they pop the hood or even pipe genuine V8 audio on stage, it’s intentional.
- Trans talk. A manual would melt the internet, but expect an automatic first; a three-pedal follow-up could be the encore.
- Parts ecosystem. If Direct Connection shows fitment, mounts, or calibration talk around the new body, production intent is real.
Bottom line
If Stellantis wants a brand reset built on enthusiast trust, a V8 concept Charger at SEMA is the move. It’s the perfect low-risk, high-reward announcement: maximum hype, minimum obligation, and a clear signal that the muscle era didn’t end—it just took a lap.
I’ll be on the SEMA floor to catch the reveal and share the receipts the moment it happens. If the purple teaser roars instead of whirs, we’ll know Dodge listened.
