The Hemi Is Back on the Menu (SEMA Tease, What I Saw, What It Means)

I didn’t take this one on rumor alone. I’ve heard from multiple people—and seen enough consistent details—to be confident Stellantis has a gas V8 coupe running around Detroit in Plum Crazy with a raised bubble hood and no R-wing. If you know the Charger Daytona EV, you know that sculpted R-wing is practically a nametag; when it’s missing and the hood is tall enough to hide real intake or blower hardware, that’s not an EV cosplay. That’s Hemi packaging.

The car looks shorter and tighter than the new Charger coupe, with a slightly different front end and a stance that reads muscle first, wind-tunnel second. Maybe it’s clever camo. Maybe it’s exactly what it looks like: a separate, more compact coupe—a ’Cuda—wearing all the right clues to make Mopar nation show up in Vegas with cameras ready.

Here’s what I laid down in the video and why I’m sticking to it:

• No R-wing = no EV. Dodge doesn’t “forget” that piece. If it’s gone, it’s intentional.
• Bubble hood = clearance. Tall intakes, heat extractors, supercharger mass—none of that lives under a flat skin.
• Proportions = purpose. The tighter deck and different nose aren’t just styling; they scream cooling and identity for a gas halo.

Now, what badge shows up at SEMA is the fun part. It could be a full-blown Hemi ’Cuda revival—the heritage play that instantly separates this car from the Charger. Or it’s a Direct Connection V8 Charger—same attitude, different nameplate—built from day one to be ordered, staged, and upgraded without getting mugged by dealer markups.

Why I Keep Bringing Up Direct Connection

Because it matters to how you buy and build the car. Stellantis has been rebuilding Direct Connection into a real factory performance storefront: parts, tunes, and complete packages sold at set prices, with matched hardware and calibration that won’t out-run the brakes or cooling. That means:

• A clear ladder: Stage 1/2/3 power with the right suspension, tires, and rotors already baked in.
• Warranty-aware upgrades tied to your VIN—no roulette with sketchy installs.
• A way to box out ADM: less “market adjustment,” more “this is the price.”

If you were turned off by the street-truck sticker shock, I hear you. The difference here is product-market fit. Loud V8 coupes with real exhaust and a factory upgrade path sell themselves—if the starting number hits right and the stages make sense.

Powertrain Reality (What Fits, Ships)

I’m not waving dyno sheets around, but if you know this brand, you know the stack:

• 5.7 Hemi (DC650): call it ~400-650+ hp, crackling exhaust, dailyable, and priced to pull people back in. Direct connect supercharger kit to up the power to Hellcat levels.
• 392 Hemi (6.4): the street bruiser at ~485–525 hp; torque you feel and a soundtrack you don’t fake through speakers.
• 6.2 Supercharged Hemi: the spicy tier with bundled cooling/brakes/tires—factory-matched, SEMA-ready, no “hope and a prayer” builds.

If Stellantis learned from the truck headlines, the smart move is start with a HEMI, then let price climb with power as you move up DC stages. Transparent, predictable, worth it.

What I Expect at SEMA (and What You Should Watch For)

I’ll be on site. If this is the real launch, Stellantis won’t waste time on vaporware slides—they’ll talk specs and performance numbers. Listen for:

• Functional hoodwork—vents/clearance that do a job, not vinyl.
• Real exhaust with a lope you can feel in the seat.
• Big iron behind the spokes—rotor diameter and caliper count tell you how serious they are.
• Awesome engine from the Hemi family. At this point any one would do and will be better than the Hurricane engines
• A stance that says heat management and grip, not just photoshoot angles.

Why This Reinforces Everything I Said on Camera

The video wasn’t about chasing a unicorn; it was about reading Stellantis’s pattern. They’ve “accidentally” let the right kind of test cars get seen before. They’ve publicly rebuilt Direct Connection into something more than merchandise. And the market mood is clear: with EV incentives fading and price fatigue setting in, the car that wins is the one that sounds right, feels right, and gives you a path to more without the dealer games.

That’s why I kept hammering three points:

1. This mule is gas. The aero and the hood say so.
2. Direct Connection is the business case. It’s how you get factory-sanctioned power without ADM nonsense.
3. Price has to make sense. Start strong, don’t start stratospheric.

If It’s ’Cuda, If It’s Charger—Either Way, It Works

A ’Cuda gives Dodge a second V8 story and instantly explains the shorter look. A Direct Connection V8 Charger centers the nameplate back on sound and sensation, while the Daytona EV and Hurricane trims serve their own lanes. In both cases, the mission is the same: give the faithful an honest-to-God Hemi with a factory path to go faster, then get out of the way.

I’ll say this the way I ended the video: if it rumbles like a Hemi and looks the part, the comeback is real. That Plum Crazy mule didn’t roll around Detroit for fun. If it fits, it ships—and judging by that hood, it fits.