Detroit Free Press Car, Truck, Utility of the Year revealed
Decades of work by Toyota and a bold new strategy from General Motors pay off with great vehicles, all priced in the heart of the market.
- Ram discontinued the HEMI engine in 2024, opting for a more powerful and fuel efficient inline six-cylinder engine.
- Citing customer sentiment, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said the brand would rerelease the V-8 HEMI engine in most of its pickup offerings.
- Kuniskis also noted a change in Ram’s market approach, with an extensive focus on one-to-one retail sales with “real customers.”
A year after removing the HEMI, Ram is reintroducing its famous V-8 engine to its product lineup and unveiling a new logo to accompany it.
At a preview event with automotive media, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said the HEMI is coming back to Ram trucks along with a new emblem that the brand is calling a “symbol of protest,” featuring a ram’s head jutting out of a V-8 engine block.
Rams reequipped with the HEMI engines will be available for sale this summer, the company said, in the following Ram 1500 models: Tradesman, Big Horn, Express, Warlock, Laramie, Rebel (available later than other models), Limited and Longhorn.
A year ago, Ram announced it would be discontinuing the HEMI V-8 engines in favor of a more fuel-efficient and powerful Hurricane twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine. The hurricane engines also performed better under emissions regulations.
That move, Kuniskis said, was a mistake.
“Ram screwed up when we dropped the HEMI — we own it and we fixed it,” Kuniskis said in a statement.
Both the Hurricane and HEMI engines will be available for buyers now, giving buyers a choice. Kuniskis said that the decision was informed by customer feedback. People were mad.
“(Buyers) hate the fact that we took away the freedom of choice,” Kuniskis said. “We as Americans, probably more so truck buyers, hate the fact that we said, ‘This is the choice you get, this is the engine you’re going to take.’ “
Kuniskis said Ram’s market approach has changed to focus almost entirely on retail sales, pulling back on fleet and rental business. Kuniskis considers this the truest reflection of the automotive market, he said, referring to retail sales as “sales to real customers.”
As is common with Kuniskis, whose persona reflects Ram’s brand identity as loud and unapologetic, he was quick to decry experts who hawk Ram’s sales numbers. The decision to bring the HEMI back was made because he heard enough from people who were upset, not crafty data analytics.
“At the end of each month, we count sales to customers, not statisticians or ideologues,” Kuniskis said. “Data be damned — we raise our flag and let the HEMI ring free again!” added Kuniskis.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW. Contact him at LRappleye@freepress.com.
