Report: Chrysler working on a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 Hellcat engine

Chrysler is reportedly working on making the Dodge Challenger SRT8 a better model for which they are developing a supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI V8 engine codenamed “Hellcat.”

The upgraded model is expected to debut in the next-generation Challenger with this high-performance engine which will reportedly generate an output somewhere in the range of 640 hp (477 kW). If this figure pans out, the engine could be as powerful as the 8.4-liter V10 one which powers the SRT Viper. More importantly, it would easily exceed the output of 580 hp (432 kW) created by the supercharged 6.2-liter V8 engine that is fitted in the Chevrolet Camaro ZL1.

Not much detail is available about the engine but one of the engineers of the company described it as “last hurrah” before more rigorous corporate average fuel economy (CAFE) standards kick in and begins to limit what automakers can offer. The next-generation Challenger is expected to go into production somewhere in middle of 2014.