Once again, I hate to say I told you so…
I warned everyone that the disbanding of Dodge’s SRT team was the beginning of the end for high-performance for the brand, but some people just didn’t want to hear it. Then when it came out recently that the Hellcats are getting canceled at the end of 2023 I predicted that would also be the curtain call for all the Hemi V8s, something which was just confirmed.
Remember Dodge's eMuscle car announcement? I break it down here.
Replacing the Hemi V8 will be the GME T6 or the Global Medium Engine Turbocharged 6, a name which just rolls off the tongue. It will be used for all Stellantis Global medium platform models, which include the Dodge Challenger and Charger. Please, try to hide your excitement about a turbo-six instead of a bruiser Hemi V8, especially one with a supercharger.
I really hate being the bearer of bad news or making doom-and-gloom predictions, but as a wise man once told me it’s best to face the awfulness of reality than to talk yourself into believing a lie. Those who have chosen to take the blue pill and sink into the ether, content that everything is going to be just fine, might think they’re wise. Instead, what they’re trading is the semblance of contentment now and the very real specter of tyrannical oppression at a later date.
Back to the replacement of the Hemi V8 with the GME T6: this proves an interesting point. If Dodge were really all super advanced and ready to rip with electrification, wouldn’t it be marrying that to a hybrid powertrain? Maybe it will, but so far no reports make any mention of even one electric motor. As I’ve said before, the key to understanding media reporting, particularly the kind that’s done at the bidding of large corporations like Stellantis, is to pay attention to what isn’t said. But don’t worry, I’m sure Dodge will become a leader of electrification, which is obviously going to be the future of cars because the media keeps repeating that talking point over and over.
All this is ostensibly to combat the slowly, and ever-slightly increasing global temperature. The hubris of believing by curtailing carbon emissions we can just “turn the dial” on the global thermostat down a few degrees is shocking but sadly not surprising. After all, the tale of Icarus exists for a reason.
A harbinger of our brave new world order has been revealed yet again, this time in the form of the 2021 Regional Transportation Plan passed recently by the San Diego Association of Government’s board of directors. The $160 billion road and transit plan has been characterized as a way to nuke private vehicle ownership over the coming years, although the included mileage tax component was “shelved” for now as it met fierce resistance. Don’t think for a moment it won’t be revisited since it was one of the biggest sources of funding to pump up public transit in the San Diego region. There are those who can’t stand that you can get into your privately-owned vehicle at any time of the day or night and drive virtually anywhere you please. These budding authoritarians view that and all other forms of personal freedom as threats to their power. That’s how big I think this fight really is, because it’s ultimately not about muscle cars and their V8 engines.
The best way to defeat an opposing army is to demoralize it. If you want to take away private cars from a population, a good strategy would be to first make all new cars toasters. After a while, enthusiasm about vehicles will wane to the point there would be little resistance to corralling everyone onto public transit systems. At least this seems to be the line of thought among certain groups and crazy enough, automakers are getting on board with this philosophy. This is why Ford, BMW, and others have been talking for years about how they’re not just car manufacturers but they’re transportation companies. We’ve seen all kinds of alternative transportation solution prototypes from certain automakers as they prepare for the new world order. They’re not dumb, they know which way the wind is blowing.
So who’s going to save us from an awful transportation hell in the near future? Some think Elon Musk will be their savior. Just remember, this is the same man who ran quite the fleecing of American taxpayers to get Tesla going, only to cater to a very narrow section of the population. Sure, the guy’s smart but he’s definitely on Team Musk.
Now that we know the awfulness of the reality we’re facing and the uncertainty of the future, it’s time to do something about the direction things are taking. Sure, some will laugh at enthusiasts for caring about V8 engines. Those same people are puttering around in the left lane in their Hyundai Elantra, completely unaware of the pathetic nature of their ride, so I wouldn’t pay any heed to what they think. But if we don’t start shoring up our personal freedoms around things like performance vehicles, even more essential items will be taken away next.
