There’s Still Hope For Hemi V8’s Return To Ram 1500

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The Hemi V8 soldiers on to the 2025 model year for Ram, but you have to head straight for the heavy-duty lineup, the 2500 and 3500. However, if you’re still yearning for its return to the half-ton Ram 1500, there’s still hope now that Tim Kuniskis is at the helm of the American brand. There are a couple of challenges, though, especially with changes employed to the refreshed model.

2025 Ram 1500

Base MSRP: $40,275
Engine: 3.6L V6 Gas, 3.0 L Inline 6 Gas
Horsepower: 305-420 hp
Torque: 269-469 lb-ft
Transmission: 8-speed shiftable automatic

Kuniskis, who ended his retirement and returned to Ram as its new CEO before 2024 came to a close, told Motor1 that he’s not ruling out the return of the Hemi V8 to the 1500 lineup. However, it won’t be that easy as the refreshed model has a new electrical system, plus ending the production of the 1500’s Hemi V8 meant challenges for the suppliers. Simply put: if Ram decides to bring back the Hemi, it “can’t do it right away.”

“Number one, the Hemi was never designed to run in that truck on that electrical architecture, so that’s a huge challenge. They shut down production on that particular Hemi, the eTorque. There’s supplier work because when you shut something down, suppliers shut down their assembly lines, and they switch to something else.”

– Tim Kuniskis, Ram Brand CEO

First Ram Half-Ton In 70 Years Without V8

The 2025 Ram 1500 is the first Ram full-size truck in seven decades to be offered without V8 power. That’s not to say that the facelifted model lacks the oomph, though. Our tests confirmed that the Hurricane-powered 1500 RHO still offered serious grunt and loads of fun even after ditching the famed eight-pot mill, enough for the entire 1500 range to clinch CarBuzz‘s Best Truck of the Year award.

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Plus, Ram is also preparing to introduce the electrified versions of the 1500 to the market. Launched in 2023, the range-extended EV Ramcharger, which uses a Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 to charge the batteries, will hit ordering books in the first half of this year, becoming the first PHEV truck to reach America. Meanwhile, the full-fledged 1500 REV EV will be arriving next year.

Kuniskis Is Facing A Huge Challenge

Parting ways with the V8 does come at a time when Ram, together with the entire Stellantis lineup, is facing a massive decline in sales in the US. As a brand, Ram only sold 439,039 units in 2024, down by 19 percent compared to its numbers in 2023. The lack of a V8 option, a popular choice among buyers according to Kuniskis, will definitely hurt the brand’s numbers further. The question now is how the returning executive will face the huge challenge of bringing the Ram brand back to a strong footing.

10 Reasons Why Ram’s New Boss Is The Right Man For The Job

There’s light at the end of the tunnel for America’s treasured pickup truck brand.

Source:
Motor1

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