Ram resurrects Hemi engine for popular pickup trucks in 'Symbol of Protest'
The return of the 5.7-liter engine comes after the company discontinued the powertrain amid tightening fuel economy regulations and a company-wide push toward electric vehicles and more efficient engines last year under ex-Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares.
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, who unretired from the automaker late last year, admitted the decision to cancel the Hemi engine for its popular consumer-focused Ram 1500 was a mistake.
"Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle them defines you. Ram screwed up when we dropped the Hemi — we own it and we fixed it," Kuniskis said. "We're not just bringing back a legendary V-8 engine, we're igniting an assertive product plan and expanding the freedom of choice in powertrain for our customers."
The decision is the latest reversal in automakers' plans this year, as EV adoption has been slower than expected, and as the Trump administration has sought to unwind many of former President Joe Biden's initiatives to push the auto industry away from gas-guzzling internal combustion engines.
The Hemi announcement, which comes as the automaker delays plans for its electric trucks, is part of a new product turnaround plan by Kuniskis that includes 25 product announcements over an 18-month period.
Ram's sales have been struggling for years amid price increases and production mishaps, as well as the automaker killing off the Hemi engine — a staple of the automaker and its predecessors since the 1950s.
Kuniskis expects Hemi to represent 25% to 40% of the Ram 1500's pickup trucks' sales. Ram has continued to offer Hemi engines in larger pickup trucks.
Ram discontinued the Hemi in exchange for a more efficient twin-turbocharged, inline-six-cylinder engine called the Hurricane. That engine will continue to be offered, with the Hemi as a $1,200 option on most models. Another 3.6-liter V-6 engine is standard on entry-level models.
Kunkiskis said his top priority when he returned in December was to get the Hemi back into Ram trucks. He initially said estimates were for it to take 18 months, which the company cut down into six months through a special project team — codenamed F15.
The 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 delivers 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. That compared to the Hurricane that replaced it at 420 horsepower and 469 foot-pounds of torque, while a high-output version of the Hurricane engine is rated at 540 horsepower and 521 foot-pounds of torque.
Unlike previous generations of the truck, the vehicle will not feature "HEMI" on the side on the vehicle. Instead, the company has created a new badge that features a Ram's head coming out of a Hemi engine that it's calling its "Symbol of Protest."
The new logo and name are an effort to regain customers who may have decided not to buy a Ram truck because the company attempted to push more efficient engines and EVs upon them.
"They hate the fact that we took away the freedom of choice," Kuniskis said. "We, as Americans, probably even more so truck buyers, hate the fact that we said, 'This is the choice you get.'"
Kuniskis said the automaker is still expected to eventually offer electric or hybrid pickup trucks to assist in meeting emissions and fuel economy requirements for Ram, but he declined to disclose an updated timeframe after several delays.
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