Stellantis has announced the revival of the beloved V-8 Hemi engine for its Ram 1500 full-size pickup trucks, set to return this summer. That’s until the automaker went and did something braver. They had announced the end of the Hemi engine to lead into a more fuel efficient choice because the Hurricane, a twin-turbocharged inline-six-cylinder engine. The legendary Hemi engine returns, generating a groundbreaking 395 horsepower and 410 foot-pounds of torque. This revival is just one prong of Ram’s plan to expand its meager product portfolio and climb out of years of stagnant sales.
The Ram 1500 has been experiencing a recent sales decline. This decline can be attributed to increasing cost, production issues, along with their planned end of life for the Hemi engine. Initially, Stellantis had phased out the 5.7-liter V-8 in the face of growing fuel economy standards and a corporate pivot to electric vehicles. Under previous CEO Carlos Tavares’s leadership, the company positioned itself on developing cleaner engines. This push led to the development of the Hurricane engine, which produces 420 horsepower and 469 foot-pounds of torque, as well as a high-output variant that produces an astounding 540 horsepower and 521 foot-pounds of torque.
Even Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis admitted it was a mistake to kill off the Hemi. He noted that customers were upset with the outcome. Our focus groups loved having options in terms of powertrains.
“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,” – Tim Kuniskis
Kuniskis rejoined Stellantis late last year after a short retirement. He seems quite focused on righting the wrongs of the past and getting the brand’s image back. Kuniskis’s decision to keep the Hemi engine comes amid an aggressive product turnaround plan. This plan includes an ambitious 25 significant product announcements within the next year-and-a-half.
People are mad that we eliminated Mother Nature’s right of choice, Kuniskis added. “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.”
Thanks to the brand new Hurricane engine, which has provided excellent power and efficiency. Plenty of customers wanted that old-school V-8 experience that the Hemi was able to deliver. The continued popularity of the controversial Hemi engine has caused Stellantis to take a second look at what products they’re putting out into the world.
Stellantis was able to pull off the return of the Hemi engine in six months thanks to the use of an autonomous project team, codenamed F15. The customer perspective This team was charged with taking on direct customer complaints and helping to re-focus the Ram brand with what the market wanted. Ram has continued to offer Hemi engines in its full-size, larger pickup trucks. Retrofitting this engine for the 1500 model represents an enormous reversal in direction.
Beyond the return of the Hemi, Stellantis has a lot working against it as it pushes back plans for its electric Ram pickup truck. Competition in the modern automotive market is fiercer than ever before. The company appears committed to pursuing electric vehicles while appealing to the original truck lovers who desire muscular powertrains.
Don’t worry, though, as a more typical 3.6-liter V-6 engine will continue to be offered on base Ram 1500 models. This gives consumers the most choices, to find what’s best for them.