After suffering its worst year in more than a decade, Ram is heading for a big rebound this year and one move seems to be setting things right: the return of the Hemi V-8 for the big Ram 1500 pickup. With order banks now open, buyers are racing to plunk down deposits. More from Headlight.News.
Sales of key RAM products, like this 1500, initially lagged expectations.
When the new Ram 1500 made its debut last year, the Stellantis truck brand thought it had knocked things out of the park, the new pickup offering a variety of features and even better performance and payload capacity than ever.
Imagine their surprise as many traditionally loyal buyers turned thumbs down, sales of the Ram 1500 tumbling below 400,000 for the first time in more than a decade. The primary reason: the automaker’s decision to drop the aging Hemi V-8 from the line-up.
Now the Hemi is ready to make its return – and buyers aren’t waiting. Over 10,000 customers plunked down deposits within the first 24 hours after the order banks opened, Rem revealed, and the count continues to rise. Ram officials estimate the Hemi could be the choice of as many as 40% of 1500 buyers going forward.
It seemed like a good idea at the time
The revived Hemi will get the same eTorque mild-hybrid assist system used with the Hurricane V-6.
When Ram started pulling together the latest generation of its full-size truck it made what would turn out to be a fateful decision: abandoning the time-tested Hemi in favor of the newer Hurricane Inline-6.
It seemed like a great idea at the time, Ram set to offer two versions of that engine:
- The 3.0-liter Hurricane Straight-Six Turbo making 420 hp and 469 lb-ft;
- The 3.0-liter Hurricane Straight-Six Turbo High-Output making 540 hp and 521 lb-ft of torque.
On paper, the decision still would seem to make sense. The returning 5.7-liter Hemi will deliver just 395 hp and 410 lb-ft of torque – even though it’s a $1,200 upgrade over the Hurricane. Along with the Hemi, that money will get buyers a new “Symbol of Protest” badge, featuring a Ram’s head butting out of a stylized Hemi V-8, mounted on the front fenders.
Why a Hemi
All Ram 1500s with a Hemi will get the “Symbol of Protest” badge on their front fenders.
So, from a logical standpoint, it would seem Ram planners made precisely the right move. But forget logic, even though the Ram 1500 may serve as a work truck for a large percentage of buyers, the automaker failed to understand that there’s a lot of emotion that goes into the truck-buying decision.
There are plenty of folks who simply insist on having a V-8 under the hood of a full-size pickup – even if they sacrifice some power, performance and payload, it turns out. And, adding to the Hemi’s emotional punch: the deep, guttural exhaust note that simply can’t be matched by a six-cylinder engine.
“We own it. We got it wrong and we’re fixing it,” Ram brand boss Tim Kuniskis said during a background briefing at Ram headquarters in suburban Detroit last month.
He’s confident enough about the Hemi to anticipate as much as 40% of buyers will opt for the V-8 option in the coming months – though it’s likely to settle in at about 25% of overall sales long-term. The option will be available on most Ram 1500 trim packages.
More Ram News
- Ram Brings Back the Beloved Hemi V-8
- The Stellantis Shake-Up Accelerates as Kuniskis Returns
- Ram Revives SRT Performance Brand, Promotes Kuniskis
Hemi gets a boost
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said the brand misread customers and made a number of mistakes recently.
The decision to revive the Hemi was one of the first moves made by Kuniskis after he returned to Ram from a brief retirement last December. (Kuniskis this past week added a number of new assignments to his portfolio. He will serve as head of the newly revived SRT division – and as the top planner for North America.)
Originally, Ram thought it would take about 18 months to get the Hemi back into production. In fact, it will be back in August thanks to some moves that actually should enhance the big V-8.
It will retain the eTorque system introduced with the 2025 1500 with the Hurricane V-6. The mild-hybrid technology adds a bit more performance while improving fuel economy, at least based on preliminary information.
More to come
Kuniskis sees NASCAR as a way to revive the brand’s weak sales.
Full-size truck owners traditionally are the most loyal in the business, noted Kuniskis, “but once you lose these people, good luck getting them back.”
That’s prompted the 58-year-old executive to launch a series of moves designed to win back those buyers. Among other things, Ram will now offer a 10-year/100,000-mile powertrain warranty on its trucks and vans. And, to help get the message across, it’s returning to NASCAR.
There’s more in the pipeline. Ram has delayed its electrified trucks but now plans to put the 1500 Ramcharger EREV into production before year-end. That model will use a gas-powered range-extender to overcome concerns many potential buyers have about range. The all-electric version of the truck has been pushed out by at least another year.
Ram is also working up a midsize pickup which, Kuniskis said, is essential to its future. And other products, such as a new Ram 1500 TRX, are reportedly now under development.
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