V8 here to stay "for foreseeable future"

The days of the traditional, big-bore, naturally aspirated V8 may be numbered, but the Chrysler 300 SRT and its 6.4-litre V8 ain't going anywhere just yet.

That's the word from Alan Swanson, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) Australia's senior manager of product strategy, who suggests no one's tolling the death knell any time soon for rear-drive V8s while they remain popular.

It's true there's a growing concern that FCA, which overlooks Jeep, Dodge and Chrysler brands, will axe the HEMI V8 by 2019 and replace them with turbo six-cylinder engines.

But it's not all doom and gloom, says Swanson.

There's still strong demand for vehicles like the just-launched Chrysler 300 SRT in Australia, not to mention the US market's predilection for sonorous eight-cylinder mills.

Although the next-generation Chrysler 300 is not expected to lob until "towards 2019" says Swanson, the vehicle will keep its V8 and be offered here long after home-grown rear-drive V8s such as the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore are no more.

"For as long as we can have cars like that, we'll take them," stated Swanson of the Chrysler 300 SRT, pointing out that FCA Australia worked closely with the SRT (Street and Racing Technology) team in Michigan to develop the current car for local tastes, such is the car's importance.

The demand for V8 muscle cars in Australia, highlighted most recently by the hundreds of paid-up pre-orders already in the bank for the next Ford Mustang, means that this market will continue to flourish in Australia for the foreseeable future.

But as ever tightening CO2 emissions regulations come into force in Europe and the US, it could force the likes of Ford, Chrysler/Dodge and Chevrolet to think outside the box when it comes to large capacity V8s.

"Cylinder deactivation is one of the technologies used to keep emissions lower and yes, a global perspective is important, but look how popular these cars are still in the States," says Swanson.

"SRT-branded cars are sold out for God knows how many months [in the USA] and it's happening here too," he observes, noting that around a third of all Chrysler 300s sold in Australia are SRT-branded.

For now, says the product strategist, Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep will stick with wild V8s such as the 350kW 6.4-litre HEMI offered in Australia and also its 527kW supercharged 6.2-litre 'Hellcat' engine expected to arrive here in due course.

"Certainly for the foreseeable future this [6.4-litre V8] is here to stay, but as far as the point where a vehicle comes to the end of the life cycle, that's the point where decisions will be made as to which way is the sustainable way forward and what engine technology is the next thing to use."

So does that mean turbocharging, smaller capacity engines and possibly even high-performance hybrid engines could be used to reduce the carbon footprints of its front-page engines?

"Within the FCA group many options are available but that decision hasn't been made," he said.

Whatever the case, Swanson is confident the Chrysler 300 has a long future ahead in Australia, and the SRT models will be a key part of that outlook.

Pictured: Dodge Charger Hellcat