The Trump Administration has effectively nullified fuel-economy regulations, but the California Air Resources Board (CARB) can still set its own standards. Seventeen additional states, plus Washington, DC, follow its rules—and in those CARB states, Dodge won't be able to sell the Durango R/T or SRT Hellcat.
Mopar Insiders was the first to discover this news, based on a dealer ordering guide. A Dodge spokesperson later confirmed those details to Motor1:
'The Dodge Durango GT with the 5.7-liter Hemi will be available in all states. The Dodge Durango R/T 392 and Durango SRT Hellcat are available in non-CARB states.'
Dodge went all V-8 with the aging Durango for the 2026 model year, dropping the base V-6 option in favor of a 5.7 for the GT. The Durango R/T 392 gets Dodge’s 6.4-liter naturally aspirated V-8, while the SRT Hellcat gets the brand’s supercharged 6.2-liter V-8. Dodge announced the move to an all-V-8 lineup about a month after the passing of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill Act, which reduced the penalty for exceeding Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) standards to $0.
Dodge says it is trying to sell the R/T and Hellcat models in CARB states. "As we prepare to begin production of the Durango SRT Hellcat Jailbreak later in Q4 and open for orders of the Durango R/T 392 by the end of the year, we continue to work with CARB on opportunities to sell these two powertrains in all states alongside the 5.7-liter Durango GT," the spokesperson said.
These are the states that have banned the Durango R/T 392 and Hellcat under CARB regulations:
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- Nevada
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- Washington DC
Under Carlos Tavares, Stellantis began moving away from its fan-favorite V-8 cars in the US, replacing the old Charger and Challenger with a single model, the Charger, available with battery or straight-six powertrains. The company also dropped the 5.7-liter Hemi from the Ram 1500.
With Tavares getting booted late last year and the Trump Administration rolling back fuel-economy standards, Stellantis has moved back towards V-8s. Ram reintroduced the 5.7-liter V-8 for the 1500, and it’s also bringing back the supercharged TRX model.
(On a related note, Dodge cancelled its electric 1500 REV pickup and instead refocused its energy on its range-extended truck.) Dodge seems to be working on getting the V-8 into the new Charger, and the Durango SRT Hellcat simply refuses to die.
But at least for now, CARB presents an obstacle for Stellantis’ greatest-hits comeback tour.
