Tim Kuniskis seems open to a Hemi-powered 1500, but there are bigger fish to fry
January 10, 2025 at 19:01
- Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has said they “took away a fundamental American thing” when they dropped the Hemi V8.
- He understands the anger, but wants to get production issues sorted out first before considering its return to the lineup.
- While the 1500 no longer offers a V8, the 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500 come standard with a 6.4-liter Hemi.
With Carlos Tavares out and Tim Kuniskis back in, there’s been a lot of change at Stellantis in the past few months. Now, Ram’s boss is speaking out and trashing the decision to drop the Hemi V8.
While you’ll still find a 6.4-liter V8 in the recently unveiled 2025 Ram 2500 and 3500, the 5.7- and 6-2-liter Hemis are persona non grata in the 1500. There, they’ve been replaced by a twin-turbo 3.0-liter inline-six developing up to 540 hp (403 kW / 548 PS) and 521 lb-ft (706 Nm) of torque.
More: 2025 Ram 1500 Debuts As A Twin-Turbo City Slicker With Fancy Tungsten Trim
That move was controversial, despite the fact that the inline-six is a performance upgrade. The old 5.7-liter V8 produced 395 hp (295 kW / 400 PS) and 410 lb-ft (555 Nm) of torque, while the base Hurricane engine develops 420 hp (313 kW / 426 PS) and 460 lb-ft (623 Nm).
That’s a substantial improvement over the Hemi, but Kuniskis recently called its elimination un-American. Speaking to Road & Track, the executive said “Americans love freedom of choice more than anything. When you take away their freedom of choice and tell them ‘you must take this,’ they revolt. Whether it makes sense or not, it doesn’t matter.”
This isn’t just hyperbole as Americans were up in arms over attempts to ban incandescent light bulbs. However, it’s a safe bet that people care more about their trucks than their kitchen light.
While Kuniskis knows people are upset about the lack of a Hemi V8, he doesn’t believe that is what is responsible for lackluster sales. As we’ve previously reported, Ram truck sales fell 16% last year to 373,120 units. That was a disappointing result and Ram didn’t finish too far ahead of the GMC Sierra, which found 324,734 buyers.
Instead, Kuniskis blames production issues and a focus on simple trims to get some trucks out the door. As he explained, “I don’t actually have any of these trucks in the trims I’m supposed to have on the market.”
Given this, Kuniskis reportedly suggested it’s too early to talk about the Hemi V8 returning to the lineup. However, the publication noted he didn’t flatly deny the possibility either. Instead, he wants to get the production issues sorted out first and then see what happens.
If sales rebound, there’s probably no need to bring back the Hemi. However, if they continue tanking, the V8 could potentially return.
