The easy way to notice it has a Hemi V8 is by this “symbol of protest.” It’s a ram’s head attached to a V8 engine block sprouting extra-large exhaust pipes.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
The death of the Hemi V8 was a hard blow to loyal Ram pickup customers. It didn’t matter that it was replaced by a more powerful inline-six-cylinder engine that yielded better efficiency. Having the choice taken away was worse, and it alienated a large portion of the Ram customer base.
In 2024, Stellantis reported a 70 per cent drop in net profits, following a series of blunders in the U.S market championed by ousted chief executive officer Carlos Tavares. His daring “Dare Forward 2030” plans involved transitioning to electric vehicles, but also included cost-cutting, mass layoffs, higher vehicle prices and the discontinuation of cheaper options like the Jeep Cherokee. Killing the Hemi, largely attributed to Tavares, it would seem, was the final straw.
To right some of the wrongs of the previous administration, Former Dodge chief executive officer Tim “godfather of the Hellcat” Kuniskis is back from a short retirement as the new CEO of Ram. At a recent event at the Chrysler headquarters in Auburn Hills, Mich., he announced the return of the Hemi while acknowledging the damage that had been done with its removal from the Ram lineup.
He said it took great effort from their team of skilled engineers to modify the platform designed for the inline-six to also work with the Hemi, and what normally takes more than a year to do was done in just six months.
The new Ram looks similar to the previous model with the big difference being under the hood.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
And you’ll know it has a Hemi too because the sports exhaust will come standard with it, so all the V8 trucks will be loud. There’s also a new fender badge that Ram dubs the “symbol of protest”. It’s a ram’s head attached to a V8 engine block sprouting extra-large exhaust pipes because buying this truck says you couldn’t care less about emissions and want it proudly displayed. At least that’s what I get from the branding. Ram is giving its fan base exactly what they want, and they’ve forgone the subtleties.
The V8 will be available on most trims later this year, except the top-of-the-line Tungsten and RHO, which stick with the inline-six. The V8 will also come with a mild-hybrid system that smooths out the auto stop/start system and adds a torque boost, but little in the way of fuel savings.
The Hemi V8 engine under the hood of the new 2026 Ram.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
Daniel Ross, the senior manager of insights and residual value strategy at Canadian Black Book, says he understands why Ram had to bring the Hemi back, but it’s a short-term strategy. “Bringing the V8 back is good, and it has always retained very good value, but what are you going to do four years from now?” says Ross. “Will there be anything affordable, or are you going to be a niche brand?”
Ross mentions that Ram has gone back to what they know, and it’s the same playbook from the Hellcat V8 days that worked so well for Dodge and Ram. But things in the automotive market are changing rapidly and heading towards lower emissions and smaller engines, even in the pickup world.
Ford has been selling turbocharged V6 engines in their F-150 for years, even using them as the basis for the high-performance Raptor. There are also hybrid and battery electric versions. GM fits a four-cylinder as standard in its light-duty lineup and already has electric trucks on sale.
As Ford and GM standardized smaller, more efficient powertrains, they still kept the V8 options, because they knew that pickup buyers don’t like change.
Kuniskis did say that Ram is going on a product offensive with 25 new announcements coming soon, but there was no mention of the delayed plug-in hybrid Ramcharger or the all-electric REV 1500. He did confirm that the highly anticipated Ram mid-size truck is coming, but we still don’t know when.
“[Ram] hasn’t future-proofed themselves, necessarily,” says Ross. “They don’t have an alternate direction, and I think it’s a big problem that’s going to exacerbate as they hold on to their underpinnings.”
The Hemi V8 engine under the hood of the new 2026 Ram.Kunal D'souza/The Globe and Mail
It’s easy to blame the former CEO for the company’s current trajectory, but the thinking behind it was for the long term, and it was just executed badly.
“[Tavares] abandoned the centre-piece of the brand, and you can’t do that. You need to transition through that over the course of years,” says Ross. “In the pickup truck world, where loyalty is so key, it’s hurt them quite a bit.”
This isn’t unknown to Kuniskis. During his presentation, he told us that Ram has around an 80-per-cent loyalty retention rate, and once you lose these customers, they aren’t coming back.
I drove to this event in Michigan, and when crossing the border, the officer asked where I was going. I said I was attending a Ram event. He says he has one and buys a new one every three to four years, but wouldn’t again because they got rid of the V8. I wonder if he’ll change his mind now that he can get the “rumble” back in his truck.
Kuniskis will likely set the company back on the right path, but for how long? The Hemi should never have been cancelled, but where’s the path forward?
“It’s a steep hill to battle against, and old habits die hard,” says Ross.
The writer was a guest of the automaker. Content was not subject to approval.
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