Hemi badging laid to rest

[Ghoste]

In a effort to show what a kind, gentle, green, and politically correct company they are, Fiat has decided that there will be no identifiers of any kind to designate the current crop of Hemi engines.  The engines will still be available but they will no longer be identified as "Hemi".
I'm sure Nancy Pelosi and tree huggers everywhere will do a dance of joy. 

[lisiecki1]

You have got to be f*cking kidding me.

[69bronzeT5]

 

[moparstuart]

someone in the aftermarket will make a killing now

[Foreman72]

someone in the aftermarket will make a killing now

anyone care to start a business with me?

[Brock Samson]

  It's also remarkable because they increased the size of the HEMI badging a few years back about the time those "Has it got a HEMI?" commercials,.. The engine was bringing folks into the showrooms to look at Rams and RTs as well as the SRTs... as it had been a while since Mopar had rear wheel drive V-8s in their car lines... But i have read recently that V-8s have fallen from favor across the board and gas will be more expensive shortly and the "Hemi" nameplate will sour many sales. Those that want one will know and wont care. 

[Nacho-RT74]

it is just me or it seems EVERYTHING is being copied from 66/74 period but this time 06/14 ?

wasn't back in 70 when everything began to change to definitelly change on 72 ?, so maybe by 2012 will be out of the market again ?

EXACTLY 40 YEARS

[1970Moparmann]

I'm sure Nancy Pelosi and tree huggers everywhere will do a dance of joy. 

Your absolutely correct.  If things stay the same in Washington, I wouldn't doubt we will see some sort of "save the planet bill" that will turn to a law......... and outlaw V8s in cars.  I'll give it 2 years!  With this action with Fiat, I hope sales start tanking down and they will appreciate what Hemi has done to the brand. 

[Ghoste]

I don't know if that would be good or bad.  When Daimler finally gave up on trying to change Chrysler into their German ideal the gutted remains weren't worth a lot.  If Fiat gives up on trying to change it into Italian styled minicars it will likely mean the end of Ma Mopar.
Maybe that would be a good thing. 

[TruckDriver]

Personally, I am happy to hear this. The current Hemi is nothing close to the original for the most part, and I think they took the fun out of the name when they started marketing the engine by putting it in everything and then some. The Hemi to me should of always been one of those engines only put in special order cars. To me the name Hemi has run it's course and now is a ho-hum engine. I'm not saying it is a bad engine, just to common for me to be exciting anymore. 

[Ghoste]

It was certainly helping to sell Chrysler products again though.

[TruckDriver]

True.

[471_Magnum]

Not sure this is entirely accurate.

As I heard it, they are just discontinuing the "Hemi" branding on Chryslers. Dodges and Dodge Trucks, would still use the Hemi brand name. Not sure about Jeeps.

[Ghoste]

I heard it was across the board. 

[mauve66]

good, maybe gm can make a hemi volt................

[vancamp]

whata next taking the cummins emblems of the diesels sheesh.

[bull]

Speaking of name-dropping, I thought I heard they were getting rid of the word Dodge on all the trucks and just going with Ram. Is that true? Not that I really care but it is a bit odd. I guess my Charger doesn't say Dodge anywhere on it either.

Anyway, so they're going to drop the Hemi nameplates? That's fine by me. Chrysler could stand to utilize a little subtlety for once. The classic name recycling over the past 10 years or so has gotten pretty ridiculous IMO. They were slapping R/T badges on just about everything that left the factory and then came the ultimate bitch slap in '06 with the you-know-what which opened the flood gates to dredge up almost every other iconic submodel name from the 60s/70s. The only thing that's lived up to its predecessor since they started this phony ad campaign is the Challenger. I think it would be stupid to drop the Hemi engine but toning things down a bit with the gawdy bling and "look at me the attention whore" syndrome wouldn't hurt my feelings any.

[ACUDANUT]

Personally, I am happy to hear this. The current Hemi is nothing close to the original for the most part, and I think they took the fun out of the name when they started marketing the engine by putting it in everything and then some. The Hemi to me should of always been one of those engines only put in special order cars. To me the name Hemi has run it's course and now is a ho-hum engine. I'm not saying it is a bad engine, just to common for me to be exciting anymore. 

I AGREE. 

[MoparManJim]

Personally, I am happy to hear this. The current Hemi is nothing close to the original for the most part, and I think they took the fun out of the name when they started marketing the engine by putting it in everything and then some. The Hemi to me should of always been one of those engines only put in special order cars. To me the name Hemi has run it's course and now is a ho-hum engine. I'm not saying it is a bad engine, just to common for me to be exciting anymore. 

I AGREE. 

x2 

[Mike DC]

  
I can think of a handful of possible reasons for Fiat to do this, but the opinions of some domestic politicians are not among them. 

The market is just not as hot on horsepower as it was 10 years ago.  And it may be part of the plans to Fiat-ize the company gradually. 

[TruckDriver]

 
I can think of a handful of possible reasons for Fiat to do this, but the opinions of some domestic politicians are not among them. 

The market is just not as hot on horsepower as it was 10 years ago.  And it may be part of the plans to Fiat-ize the company gradually. 

I bet it's more to save money.

[471_Magnum]

Here's a link the to USA Today story which states the Hemi badging will be limited to trucks:
http://content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/07/chrysler-banishing-hemi-engine-name-to-dodge-ram-only/1?csp=obinsite

[Shakey]

Anyone remember the HEMI badges on the K-Cars in the early '80's?   

[Ghoste]

Speaking of name-dropping, I thought I heard they were getting rid of the word Dodge on all the trucks and just going with Ram. Is that true? Not that I really care but it is a bit odd. I guess my Charger doesn't say Dodge anywhere on it either.

Dodge no longer sell trucks.  Ram is a separate division that only sells trucks.  Why?  Who knows?  The whole thing sounds to me like nothing more than change for the sake of change and/or positioning for the potential selling off of profitable divisions and toilet hammering the rest.
As for gawdiness, I agreee on overkill but I also see nothing wrong whatsoever with a Hemi badge on a Challenger RT.  In fact it is probably the one car that should have the badging.

[UFO]

Anyone remember the HEMI badges on the K-Cars in the early '80's?   

Yup 2.6 HEMI.
Didn't buy the whole vehicle,but I do have a couple nos emblems around here.

[Ghoste]

That one was a little sacreligious but it did admittedly have hemi combustion chambers.

[lisiecki1]

That one was a little sacreligious but it did admittedly have hemi combustion chambers.

Yeah, but so does my Toyota Supra.....

[Ghoste]

Yes, but no one thinks about Toyota when Hemi is mentioned.  Truth is, several Japanese engines have had them as well as several European vehicles.  And IIRC, the K-car hemi's (lower case "H" for sure) were sourced from Mitsubishi.
I only care about the Chrysler ones.

[Charger-Bodie]

Yes, but no one thinks about Toyota when Hemi is mentioned.  Truth is, several Japanese engines have had them as well as several European vehicles.  And IIRC, the K-car hemi's (lower case "H" for sure) were sourced from Mitsubishi.
I only care about the Chrysler ones.

Yep. The 2.6 hemi was a Mitsu.

[moparstuart]

Yes, but no one thinks about Toyota when Hemi is mentioned.  Truth is, several Japanese engines have had them as well as several European vehicles.  And IIRC, the K-car hemi's (lower case "H" for sure) were sourced from Mitsubishi.
I only care about the Chrysler ones.

Yep. The 2.6 hemi was a Mitsu.

junk too the heads melted down bad

[Ghoste]

How many know there was a hemi headed Toyota V8?  Pretty sure it was a Japan only thing but I do know they made (make?) one.

[bull]

As for gawdiness, I agreee on overkill but I also see nothing wrong whatsoever with a Hemi badge on a Challenger RT.  In fact it is probably the one car that should have the badging.

I agree. And that's as it should be. I don't think the R/T badge should be on Durangos, pickups, Cherokees, Neons or any car with more than two doors. It should be a special designation for special cars like it always was before, and the more it's misused the less special it becomes. Like that quote from The Incredibles, "When everyone's super, no one will be."

[jar1292]

 What! they no longer label or in there eyes...(make) a HEMI... did i just see a price figure jump on my cars engine? i mean hey they no longer wanna associate with it and they do own the trade mark right. so.... i have a soon to b limited rare motor?... minus the 10000000000 new ones out there! (please dont quote me on my numbers) i know how some of you guys are picky and mostlikly acually know how many are made to this minute! 

[Mike DC]

              
Most of the advanced little 4-bangers are Hemi headed.  It suits the higher-winding nature of those motors to make more high-RPM power.  And the weight/packaging losses of the physically larger heads are not a big factor on a 4-banger, since it has just a single cylinder head on top of a single bank of cylinders.

But on a larger-displacement V8 the higher RPM power gain is less important, while the weight & space penalties of the Hemi head design are more of a problem.  Hence these motors have mostly stayed with pushrods long after the smaller motors went Hemi.
     

[kokxville]

Maybe the Hemi name will be changed to "Abarth" by Fiat.

It's the name of the race history from Fiat,just as Hemi is for Chrysler

[ITSA426]

I don't know how much of all this to buy.  My brother works for an American manufacturing company and they just got new orders for RT and hemi badging.  Some of the competing manufacturing companies are pulling out of China because of quality issues and one company offered to send my brother to China to show them how to do it right.  He turned the offer down.  I don't particularly think of the new hemi like the 426 but I haven't been wild about any hemi smaller than the 392 anyways. 

[Scaregrabber]

I'll be glad to see the badge go. I remember the 2.6 Hemi and how it made me cringe. This new Hemi has been pimped to death and unfortunately has tainted the older, real Hemi's legend and status. I think Daimler would have called the engine the Six Pack-Hemi-Magnum-Charger-Challenger-GTX-Slant six if they thought it would have sold just one more car.
I do think the new engine is a very good one, it is good enough that it could have stood on it's own and created it's own legend.

Sheldon

[mauve66]

That one was a little sacreligious but it did admittedly have hemi combustion chambers.

Yeah, but so does my Toyota Supra.....

and my 89 swift gti and it still got 35 mpg around town and would smoke some alot of other I4's

[bull]

Now I'm wondering about something. How long was the last Hemi or R/T badge drought? From like 1972 to 2003 (other than the Mitsu of course)?

[Ghoste]

And the Aspen RT.

[xs29j8Bullitt]

I don't know how much of all this to buy.  My brother works for an American manufacturing company and they just got new orders for RT and hemi badging.

This story has been around since July, and as been blown out of proportion by reports like the one in USA Today...

All that is being changed is the de-emphasis of the Hemi name for Chrysler and Jeep brands by eliminating external Hemi badging and use of the Hemi name in most advertising.  The engines will still be there, and will still be badged on the engine itself as a Hemi.  The Dodge and Ram brands will still be externally badged and advertised as "Hemi" powered vehicles... in fact the new 2011 Challenger SRT8 will have external "392 Hemi" badging instead of "6.4 Hemi", although the engine badging itself will remain "6.4 Hemi".

Here is a better short article to read:

http://www.allpar.com/news/index.php/2010/07/analysis-wsj-confuses-the-issue