Dodge Copperhead: Everything We Know So Far

The takeaway:

• What’s confirmed: Dodge showed a production-intent Copperhead model to journalists at Stellantis Investor Day in May 2026, and CEO Tim Kuniskis discussed it on the record — real hard points, not Charger-based, not a Viper replacement. No engine, price, or date announced.
• What’s not: Nearly everything else — engine, platform, price, arrival year, and even whether “Copperhead” is the final badge or an internal name. The 2029 arrival and six-figure price are outlet estimates, not Dodge announcements.
• Our take: The most tangible unannounced Dodge in years — a real model shown to real journalists, not a leak or a rendering. Still a halo car years from showrooms, not something to plan a purchase around.

Estimated price: not yet announced (outlets estimate $100,000+) · Expected on-sale: reportedly 2029 model year

The name is old; the car is new. Dodge first used Copperhead on a 1997 Detroit concept — a smaller, V6-powered Viper little brother that never reached production. The new Copperhead is the opposite idea: not an affordable Viper, but the flagship above everything else Dodge sells. Kuniskis calls it a “hyper-muscle car” — muscle-car attitude pushed into supercar territory.

What sets this story apart is how it surfaced: Dodge did not leak it, the company showed it. At Stellantis Investor Day in May 2026, journalists touring the Design Dome in Auburn Hills saw an early styling model, with no photographs permitted. Everything visual comes from people who were in the room — so treat every online rendering as an artist’s guess, not the car.

What Will It Look Like?

By every attendee account, a low, long two-door coupe: long hood, aggressive stance, pinched rear, ducktail spoiler, narrow LED headlights, and a front end built around large intakes. Proportions recalled the Viper ACR, but the car is reportedly a little larger, with 2+2 seating and a usable trunk suggested — roughly Mustang-sized.

Most important is what Kuniskis stated plainly: the Copperhead is not built on the Charger. “It is not the hard points of a Charger,” he told The Drive — the Charger’s architecture could not deliver these proportions without heavy compromise. What journalists saw, he added, was no fantasy concept: “Those are real hard points, real production-intent proportions.”

What Will Power It?

Combustion, almost certainly. MotorTrend reports the Copperhead is “absolutely expected to launch with combustion power, and probably a lot of it,” and the styling model’s exhaust outlets point the same way. Beyond that, Dodge has announced nothing — no engine, output, or transmission.

The candidates are the two engines Dodge already has. One is the Hurricane inline-six: Kuniskis and Dodge engineers have confirmed to MotorTrend that the Hurricane has considerably more in it than today’s Charger versions, so a higher-revving, high-output straight-six is plausible. The other is the Hemi V8, possibly supercharged — the same 6.2-liter Hellcat engine that makes 777 horsepower in the Ram SRT TRX, a reference point only, not this car’s figure. Kuniskis has also teased a “new technology” powertrain, while downplaying hybridization.

The platform is the biggest open question. Kuniskis ruled out the Charger’s STLA Large architecture and pointed to “global synergies” inside Stellantis, fueling speculation about Maserati or Alfa Romeo hardware. MotorTrend goes further, describing a front-engine, rear-transaxle layout with multilink suspension and adaptive damping, aimed at mid-engine Corvette mass balance. All of that is informed speculation, not a Dodge announcement.

When Will It Go On Sale?

Before 2030, most likely as a 2029 model. MotorTrend lists 2029 as the expected on-sale date, Car and Driver’s reporting points the same way, and other outlets describe the target as 2029 to 2030. Dodge has confirmed none of it — no debut, production, or model-year date.

In its favor: manufacturers do not show production-intent hard points to journalists for a paper program. Against it: halo cars are expensive, low-volume, and first to be cut when plans change. Treat 2029 as the reported target, not a date — the first real evidence will be an official reveal or a camouflaged prototype, neither yet seen.

How Much Will It Cost?

There is no official price, and this article will not invent one. Kuniskis has refused to discuss it — “sometimes you don’t ask what the price is,” he said at Investor Day. MotorTrend estimates $100,000, and other outlets put the starting price at $100,000 or more, with room to climb on powertrain and options.

Where it has to sit is clearer: the Charger lineup tops out at $59,995 for the Daytona Scat Pack, and the Copperhead sits above it as flagship. A six-figure start is plausible, even likely — but any exact number before Dodge announces one is guesswork, including $100,000.

Should You Wait or Buy Something Else Now?

Do not wait for this car if you want a performance car soon: it is unpriced, unspec’d, and years away, with no prototype spotted and no date announced. But for Dodge loyalists, this is the most encouraging reporting in years — the brand is publicly building a halo again.

Buy something real instead: the current Charger Scat Pack is on sale today, and the supercharged Charger Hellcat V-8 is reported for 2028 (see our Charger Hellcat article). The Mustang still offers V8 performance today, and the Corvette is the benchmark this car is reportedly chasing.

For contrast: the 2027 Silverado 1500 is confirmed, revealed, and priced (see our Silverado article); the Camaro revival runs on insider reporting alone (see our Camaro article); the LFA successor and CX-5 Hybrid are confirmed but soft on details (see our LFA and CX-5 Hybrid articles). The Copperhead sits between those poles: more tangible than a pure rumor, since Dodge showed it, but further from a showroom than any confirmed car here. For every other car on the way, see our Future Cars hub.

The Rivals

Chevrolet Corvette: The benchmark. MotorTrend reports Nürburgring-level ambitions aimed at the Corvette ZR1 — the car every American performance flagship is now measured against.

Ford Mustang Dark Horse SC: The logical rival: Ford’s supercharged Mustang flagship, the car a high-output Copperhead would have to beat for muscle-car supremacy.

Dodge Charger Hellcat V-8 (reported 2028): The in-house rival: same brand, same V8 religion, but a big sedan versus a focused coupe. If the Hellcat arrives first, it keeps Dodge buyers in the family while the halo finishes its journey.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Copperhead really coming?

As close to yes as an unannounced car gets: Dodge showed a production-intent model to journalists in May 2026 and its CEO discussed it on the record — but no formal production announcement has followed.

Is it a new Viper?

No — Dodge has said so explicitly. It is a new “hyper-muscle” flagship with its own identity, not a direct Viper replacement.

Will it have a V8?

Unknown. Combustion is expected, and the candidates are a high-output Hurricane inline-six or a Hemi V8, possibly supercharged. Dodge has announced no engine.

Will it actually be called Copperhead?

Probably, but not certainly. The name was used at Investor Day and the car described as “known internally” as the Copperhead, but Dodge has not confirmed final badging — and the name previously belonged to a 1997 concept that never reached production.