Ram Brings Back Hemi V8 Engine in Bid to Reclaim Lost Sales
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Ram is putting the Hemi V8 engine back in its light-duty pickup trucks, part of a blitz of changes from brand head Tim Kuniskis to claw back lost share in the hyper-competitive U.S. truck market.
Under Stellantis NV’s previous chief executive, Carlos Tavares, Ram dropped the Hemi engine from its 2025 model line in favor of a more efficient turbo six-cylinder engine called the Hurricane. That six-cylinder engine comes standard on some of the company’s higher-trim trucks, but for the 2026 model year, customers will be able to opt for the louder 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine for an extra $1,200. Hemi-powered Ram trucks are expected to hit dealer lots this summer.
“Ram screwed up when we dropped the Hemi — we own it and we fixed it,” Kuniskis said in a statement. “We heard loud and clear from consumers: There is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V8.”
Kuniskis, a 33-year company veteran who ended a brief retirement in December to return to Stellantis after Tavares’ ouster, has been busy shaking up Ram’s product strategy to try to recover lost share.
People thought it was dead, but legends never die. Reintroducing the engine design that started it all—the HEMI® V8.
Learn more here 🔗 — Ram Trucks (@RamTrucks)
Ram’s slice of the truck market has been cut almost in half since 2021, falling to 11% this year through April, from 20% at the end of 2021, according to researcher Edmunds. Overall brand sales were down 2% in the first quarter, while light-duty pickup deliveries fell 11%.
Kuniskis has twice delayed the arrival of the all-electric Ram 1500 REV, and pushed back the range-extended Ramcharger in order to get the Hemi-powered trucks to customers this summer. He’s betting President Donald Trump’s push to roll back Biden-era fuel economy rules will make it easier to sell the popular gas guzzler without hitting regulatory blocks or incurring large financial penalties.
READ MORE: Ram Brings Back Cheaper US-Made Pickup to Fuel Recovery
“We just looked at the marketplace and we looked at what consumer demand is and the cost of the vehicles and what the margin potential was,” Kuniskis said during a meeting with reporters at the company’s headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., earlier this week. This was “strictly a business decision based on market demand.”
Ram has been growing its share of the retail market, which is more profitable than sales to rental companies or government customers, Kuniskis said. He said retail share was up to 17% in the first quarter, and he’s aiming to get it up to 20% by the end of this year. Ram will continue to prioritize retail channels until it can get more production going in the second half of the year, he said.
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The appeal of the Hemi is more in its sound and feel than strict performance metrics. At 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque, it’s less powerful than the Hurricane turbo engine. But it has an exhaust pipe tuned to deliver the familiar growl truck fans love, and it has a 33-gallon gas tank, versus the 24-gallon tank the Hurricane offers.
To lean in to nostalgia for the V8 and the “freedom of choice” tagline Stellantis has been pushing amid the EV slowdown, Kuniskis had designers come up with a new insignia to stick on the driver side door of every Hemi truck — a Ram’s head on the front of a V8 engine block. He calls it a “symbol of protest” badge, aiming to rev up support among buyers who value engine tuning over climate concerns.
The Hemi isn’t a complete gas hog — it has a 48-volt “eTorque” battery system to help give it oomph off the line or when it’s idling at a stop light without burning extra gas.
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Ford has likewise paired its V8 engine with its EcoBoost technology to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions. And GM recently announced an $888 million investment in an upstate New York plant to build next-generation V8 engines for trucks and SUVs with better fuel economy.
Despite the play for traditional, combustion-loving motorheads, Kuniskis said Ram will still have electric trucks, starting with the extended-range Ramcharger that will start production by the end of 2025.
“Regulations are not gone, compliance is not gone,” Kuniskis said. “You can’t get there without some forms of electrification.”
