A new report suggests that Ram could bring back the Hemi V8 engine to its Ram 1500 truck and, with it, the TRX high-performance pickup fairly soon. It comes from an unlikely source but tracks with rumors we’ve heard for months, so we’re inclined to believe it.
A Leak From a Dealership Employee
Someone claiming to work for a Wisconsin dealership emailed the NASCAR fan site Sportsnaut with a screenshot of a presentation that, the poster claimed, Ram parent company Stellantis gave to dealers. The Sportsnaut reader was excited to highlight a report that Ram will return to the NASCAR Truck Series.
However, bullet points above also note that the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engine will return to the Ram 1500 and that a new TRX is “coming back with more power.” The report also says Ram will delay its Ram 1500 REV electric truck in favor of building more Ramcharger extended-range electric vehicles as quickly as possible.
Those last two points have recently come true, lending credence to the idea that the presentation is legitimate.
Ram fan site Mopar Insiders later confirmed the report but cited unnamed sources.
Neither Has Been Gone for Long
Ram retired both the Hemi and the TRX with a redesign of its best-selling truck for the 2025 model year. The most potent engine Ram buyers can currently select is a turbocharged Hurricane inline-6-cylinder making 540 horsepower. That’s the engine in Ram’s current high-performance model, the Ram 1500 RHO.
Rumors that the Hemi could return began early this year after former Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis returned to the job following a brief retirement. Had the engine been out of production for long, bringing it back would be complicated. But parent company Stellantis is still selling a few Hemi-equipped models a month in the form of the Jeep Wrangler Rubicon 392 Final Edition. Suppliers likely have all the parts they need to spool production back up quickly.
Rumors that the TRX name wasn’t dead forever began almost the moment Ram announced the end of TRX production. Automakers rarely let a nameplate with a significant fan base lapse for long.
The Hemi’s return will likely coincide with changes to federal fuel economy rules. New Trump administration Secretary of Transportation Sean Duffy, on taking office, signaled his intent to go back to looser federal fuel economy standards from Trump’s first term. Changing federal regulations takes time through a formal process, but the move could be legal within months.
The Hemi, however, likely won’t be back for good. Most automakers design cars on a cycle lasting five to ten years. With presidential administrations turning over as fast as every four years, companies tend to plan for stricter standards over time.
They may make a short-term change to accommodate looser regulations but are unlikely to assume they can rely on that lasting into the next design cycle.