Chrysler Group Passes Million Mark with Modern HEMI V8

Cadillac has done a commendable job bringing notoriety to its "Northstar" V8, but with nowhere near the household commonality of Chrysler Group's HEMI. What about powerhouse Toyota?

Chrysler Group has built a veritable brand out of the HEMI name, almost overshadowing the very cars, trucks and SUVs it powers. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

Don't they have a sophisticated V8 worth remembering? Absolutely, and more than one actually, but you probably didn't know they call it "iForce". Nissan did a pretty good job of naming their 5.6-litre V8, standard in the Titan pickup, Armada SUV and Infiniti QX56, "Endurance V8". Ford's got the Triton, Romeo, and a dozen others, while GM has and has had a myriad of V8 nomenclatures.

Of the imports, Honda's VTEC might be the most successful engine technology name, if not engine name. Being the first widely available application of variable valve timing in the automotive sector it created quite a buzz when it debuted, but now there are so many variations of the theme, such as Toyota's VVTi, Mitsubishi's MIVEC, and the list goes on, that it's kind of lost its savour.

Still, nothing says fast like HEMI. It was the king of the road back in the '50s, '60s

Nothing says fast like HEMI. It was the king of the road back in the '50s, '60s and early '70s, before smog legislation and the fuel crisis that followed kicked the fun out of Detroit. (Photo: Trevor Hofmann, Canadian Auto Press)

and early '70s, before smog legislation and the fuel crisis that followed kicked the fun out of Detroit. Now you can go ahead and dust off those high-heeled boot stompin' KISS LPs as Detroit Rock City is back and Chrysler's HEMI is the pack leader.

Since its launch in the heavy-duty Ram, the HEMI found its way into the Dodge Durango SUV, Chrysler 300C, Dodge Magnum R/T, Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited, and most recently the Dodge Charger R/T. And if you think North America's hottest brand is going to stop there, you don't understand how Chrysler plays the momentum card.