The V8 engine was once the beating heart of nearly every automaker on earth, as it perfectly blended performance and refinement into a single package. Luxury, muscle, sports, and any number of other car categories utilized the beloved powerplant dutifully for decades, and they continue to do so today, even though that number is shrinking.Thanks to fuel economy standards, an improvement in forced induction, the migration to new powertrain technologies, and shifting consumer tastes, the V8 is disappearing. Many automakers have given up on the powerplant entirely in favor of smaller engines, hybrids, and fully electric vehicles, saying goodbye to a history that dates back to some of their earliest beginnings. We wanted to take a look at the brands that have given up the engine here in the US and see where their new powertrain focus has landed.All the V8-less car brands have been compiled in alphabetical order. Alfa Romeo 2007-2009 Alfa Romeo 8C Competizione Coupe Red Front Angle DrivingThe first brand that has given up the V8 isn't really known for the powerplant, but has shown great potential with it over the decades. While the company originally used many different V8s in its cars, it gradually switched over to its smooth V6s, eventually saying goodbye to the V8 with the introduction of the low-volume 8C Competizione in the late 2000s.!!!MODEL TAG!!! Listing Carousel 2026 Alfa Romeo Giulia/cars/alfa-romeo/giulia/2026/Throughout the 2010s and into the modern day, twin-turbo V6s and turbocharged four-cylinder units became the engines of choice for cars like the Giulia, with PHEVs joining the mix in the Tonale SUV today. EVs are in the brand's future, but combustion isn't as dead as once thought, and will see a resurgence in the brand's future. Chrysler 2023 Chrysler 300 C front Chrysler closed out its V8 era with a limited-run 300C in 2023, but it wasn't the only Stellantis brand planning to say goodbye to the V8. Dodge and Jeep were ready to join it in due course, but when Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares was given the boot, everything changed.!!!MODEL TAG!!! Listing Carousel 2027 Chrysler Pacifica/cars/chrysler/pacifica/2027/Now, Hemi V8s are back on the table in Ram products, although there's no word on whether they'll make their way back to Chrysler, a company that's very much in the midst of an identity crisis. At the moment, it only sells minivans, with no clear plan on the horizon. Infiniti & Nissan 2015 Infiniti QX80 Dark Blue Front AngleInfiniti, Nissan’s luxury division, quietly phased out V8 engines with the redesign of the QX80 for the 2025 model year. The QX80 now shares the same twin-turbo V6 found in the Nissan Armada, which offers better power and improved fuel economy over the previous V8. While it's a shame to see that engine go, we can't say it doesn't make sense for the company to downsize to better offerings, as long as the performance is the same.Nissan's future plans include introducing e-Power to the American market, and a series of V6 hybrid-powered ladder-frame SUVs, including the all-new Xterra. Maserati 2008-2012 Maserati GranTurismo Silver High Front View DrivingMaserati and the V8 are like two peas in a pod, two greats that have always managed to bring out the best in one another. Models like the GranTurismo and Ghibli Trofeo may not have driven or been the best built, but what they lacked in "engineering" they made up for in gorgeous looks and a soul few other vehicles offered, thanks to that glorious Ferrari-derived V8 exhaust note.!!!MODEL TAG!!! Listing Carousel 2024 Maserati Ghiblihttps://carbuzz.com/cars/maserati/ghibli/2024/All the brand's V8 models were culled at the end of 2023, and the company went all in on the Nettuno twin-turbo V6 that sits in the MC20 and new GranTurismo. That's also a great powertrain, but it lacks the drama of the previous V8. An all-electric version of the GranTurismo called the Folgore has also arrived, but a similarly planned version for the MC20 has been canceled, so the brand's plans appear to be very fluid. Mitsubishi 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Exterior This one may be a bit surprising to hear, but Mitsubishi did offer a couple of vehicles with a V8 engine, just not here in the US. Mitsubishi is a company steeped in rally-bred history, famed for its turbocharged four-cylinder engines and potent six-cylinder powertrains, but the company dabbled with a V8 in the late 90s and early 2000s thanks to help from Hyundai.A partnership saw the creation of a V8 that found its way into the flagship luxury Proudia and Dignity, but only 1,286 units were ever made with it. After that, it basically became a footnote in the company's history, and today, it's running full steam ahead into hybridization and electrification. Toyota & Lexus 2020 Toyota Sequoia TRD Pro Army GreenToyota has given up on V8s, at least for mainstream consumers. You used to be able to find a V8 in the Tundra, Sequoia, and Land Cruiser, and the 5.7-liter V8 was easily one of the best engines in the business, but now it's gone, and hybrid and non-hybrid 3.5-liter, twin-turbo V6s and turbocharged inline-fours can be found in all of them. In a surprise move, it built an all-new twin-turbocharged V8 for the GR GT.Lexus seems intent on dropping its famous 5.0 V8, however. It can only be found in the LC500 these days, but it will also be gone soon. And instead of building an all-new LFA with the twin-turbo V8 mentioned above, the LFA Concept is based on the GR GT, but it's all-electric. Volkswagen Volkswagen Touareg Diesel front 3/4Volkswagen’s V8s are long gone, phased out in favor of scalable electric platforms like MEB. We haven't had a V8-powered VW model stateside in years, as the only options ever offered here were the first-gen Touareg and misguided Phaeton available with the 4.2-liter V8. There was another 8-cylinder engine in the lineup, but the W8 Passat is very much its own unique product.V6, VR6, and four-cylinder powertrains have long been the brand's favorites, and now hybrids are joining the fray alongside a few EVs. The brand is under the impression that EVs are still the future, and it plans to switch its entire lineup to the technology, though the timeline has moved given current market trends and the fact that it has been constantly rethinking its strategy. Volvo Cars 2007 Volvo S80 V8 rearThe final automaker that has ditched the V8 isn't usually associated with the engine, but it left a mark with two models in the 2000s. For a short period of time, Volvo offered the XC90 and S80 with a Yamaha-produced V8, which made anywhere from 311-315 horsepower and 325 lb-ft of torque.These weren't incredible numbers for the time, but they were solid, and the engine sounded rather fantastic. However, once those initial generations were gone, so was the V8, and it's been V6 and I4 powertrains ever since, with hybrid, PHEV, and fully-electric options coming to dominate the new models.Sources: Volvo, Volkswagen, Toyota, Nissan, Mitsubishi, Maserati, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo, Infiniti