The V8 Dodge Durango is back, replacing the standard V6, but its return could look different depending on where you reside. While every 2026 Durango will start with a 5.7-liter Hemi making 360 horsepower, dealer bulletins now making the rounds suggest that SUVs incorporating the more powerful 392 and Hellcat engines will only be sold in states that don’t follow California’s emissions regulations.
The news arrives courtesy of MoparInsiders, who reportedly contacted Stellantis about the dealer comms and received the following statement from the company. “The HEMI-powered Durango R/T 392 and the Durango SRT HELLCAT are available in non-CARB states. We’re continuing to evaluate the opportunity to provide the full V8-powered Durango lineup to all customers.” The Drive has reached out to the automaker as well, and will update this story should we learn anything new.
If Stellantis can’t or won’t sell these more powerful Durangos in the 17 states that adhere to California’s Air Resources Board criteria, it wouldn’t be very surprising. The company has a precedent for this, previously stocking only electrified versions of certain Jeep models on dealer lots in CARB-adhering states like Delaware, Colorado, and Oregon back in 2023, and requiring gas-only vehicles to be special-ordered.
That episode also led Stellantis to challenge how CARB measured the company’s compliance with regulations, versus how the board treated certain other manufacturers. It’s a whole can of worms, and ultimately the two parties worked out a deal a little more than a year ago where Stellantis vowed to abide by California’s rules, supposedly regardless of what the federal government decides to do in the future.
Still, all that seems to have resulted in a familiar situation: The least fuel-efficient versions of Dodge’s SUVs may not be available in states that follow the strictest emissions rules, at least until Dodge’s “evaluations” prove fruitful. Order books opened for the 2026 Durango Hellcat and its have-it-your-way Jailbreak version last month.
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