HEMI's Days Numbered, The Green Revolution to Blame

[YSSMAN]

First Cadillac revealed it was canceling its V8 program and now Chrysler has announced that its legendary Hemi V8 engine doesn’t have a bright future. Rising oil prices and toughening fuel economy standards is causing carmakers around the world to rethink their powertrain options, and the future is looking low displacement and hybrid.

“The Hemi is not the powertrain of the future,” Chrysler co-president Jim Press told reporters from Automotive News during a recent interview. Young people don’t associate the ‘HEMI’ name with performance in the same way that their parents may have, Press explained. The design, after all, dates back to the 1950s and was made popular during the muscle car days of the ‘60s and ‘70s.

Today’s performance, and more importantly, future performance will come from cars with compact engines and forced induction technology as well as advanced hybrids and all-electric vehicles. Chrysler has already given us a preview of that future with its Dodge ZEO concept sports car, which featured a 268hp electric motor and is capable of accelerating to 60moh from rest in less than six seconds – similar performance to the HEMI.

All hope isn’t lost for HEMI fans. Updates such as cylinder deactivation and possibly direct injection will squeeze a few more years out of the classic V8 but their place in the automotive world will be constantly shrinking. Having grown up with the phrase “there’s no replacement for displacement” this will be a sad state of affairs for a number of us at MotorAuthority.

Boo-hiss... Clever engineering can fix that problem, but Chrysler has to be willing to spend the money in development costs. Of course, when you don't have money, thats a problem.

Interesting that it looks like Ford and Chrysler are dumping their V8 programs (for the most part) while GM is sticking with it. We'll see what happens, but it looks like the next few years should be interesting indeed!

 

[JCE]

As long as it stll makes it into limited production "SRT" models then it isn't a total loss. I do like the HEMI engines for what they are, cheap power with a great soundtrack. They shouldn't completely stop making it.

But, that however has brought me to this point...it looks like forced induction is now the way the combustion engine is going in terms of "power". Ford of all people coming out with a twin turbo setup for its cars and now Chrysler talking about it? I see a VERY bright future here. This may be another nail in the V8 couffin but this might just open up a new power segment yet untapped in the American automotive culture. GM had its fun with the GNX and GTA--now it appears they shouldn't of stopped doing forced induction.

Thoughts on it? (possibly seperated from this thread?)

 

[YSSMAN]

I'm personally more in favor of going DIG (direct-injection gasoline) with cylinder deactivation and E85 capability. It uses off the shelf parts, its cheap, and can be very effective in making the millage needed while still packing the V8 power punch.

...That being said, Ford's EcoBoost setup is EPIC AWESOME, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the others will eventually bring to the table. I'll miss the HEMI and the small-block (as we know it), but as long as the power is still there, I'll be a happy camper...

 

[JCE]

I'm personally more in favor of going DIG (direct-injection gasoline) with cylinder deactivation and E85 capability. It uses off the shelf parts, its cheap, and can be very effective in making the millage needed while still packing the V8 power punch.

...That being said, Ford's EcoBoost setup is EPIC AWESOME, so I'm looking forward to seeing what the others will eventually bring to the table. I'll miss the HEMI and the small-block (as we know it), but as long as the power is still there, I'll be a happy camper...

I'm inclined to agree completely here--just don't change the Corvette's personality by completely retooling not just the engine. And as a bonus we can always have access to the Ford Modular, Ford 302/351, GM LTx/LSx/250, and the Chrysler HEMI through the older models that have them.

 

[niky]

Since it's mostly America that's V8 country, not many of us outside are too beaten up about this news (I've been hearing stuff all month on other channels).

For the longest time, Japanese makers (and the odd European... Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, Saab) have been turning to turbochargers to round out their model ranges. Unfortunately, in the past decade, due to the increasing need to keep up in the horsepower wars, these engines have been inching up in size, anyway...

Thanks to the popularity of variable geometry turbocharging, though, that seems set to turn around. I know I4s don't have much character compared to anything else (hell, even an I3 sounds more interesting), and turbos can suck the exhaust burble out of even the sweetest six-pot, but power is power. And with the ability to tune for wide, lazy torque bands with VGT, as well as the now widespread availability of computer tuning options... the future looks pretty bright for performance enthusiasts who love to DIY.

 

[Jim Prower]

Great. I'm gonna have to wait ANOTHER 30 years before I see one again...

I'm none to happy of this news, being a Chrysler fan, but I at least hope that Chrysler can keep a top-level SRT Hemi in the lineup, which, when I stop and think about it, is what the nameplate should have been applied to in the first place. I'd also like to see that mill punched out to 7.0L...426 ci. Just for a last hurrah, if nothing else.

Forced Induction, Direct Injection...it all seems very interesting...'cept that electric car.

 

[Kent]

Personally, I think it's better to change the game plan than to re-engineer what is currently in use. That is to say, if Dodge will not pay for the R&D to fix the Hemi then they should definately use that money for engineering something new with a great deal of life ahead of it and not behind it.

Further, I think Cylinder De-activation (although we aren't in the late eighties) is a bad idea. I'd rather see conventional engines running good economy than something along the lines of a 4-6-8.

E85 + four or six cylinder + turbos and refined valve timing systems = all I want in this new age of fuel economy.

Btw, weight reductions wouldn't be a bad idea either... My 2600lbs. Corolla gets 32mpg average and about 45mpg on extended interstate drives. 👍 (auto transmission)

 

[Jay]

From what I have seen from Ethanol mix fuels I am skeptical of long term use of E85, and will wait that one out. Direct injection is great for economy but has some hurdles for big power aftermarket tuners and DIY tuners (something manufacturers will not concern themselves with and rightly so).

and cylinder deactivation I plainly don't like.

I do very much agree on weight reduction, just look how bloated cars are becoming these days, some more development into reducing weight would be a good thing IMO.