GM, Stellantis recommit to V8 engines

SURPRISING no one is news that Stellantis-owned Ram Trucks has reinstated 5.7-litre Hemi V8 engines to its 1500 pick-up and rival General Motors (GM) has reaffirmed its commitment to the V8 announcing a hefty $A2.7 billion investment to keep the bent eight alive with new generations of the iconic mill.

The turnaround at Ram comes after strident consumer backlash driven by rusted-on V8 lovers and slow sales of models with higher prices and alternative powertrains resulting in dealers choking on unsold new vehicle inventory.

After hinting at his intentions earlier this year, Ram boss Tim Kuniskis confirmed last week the manufacturer’s intention to revive the much loved Hemi V8 for its 1500 pick-up as it fixes the “mistake” it made going to straight six cylinder or EV only powertrains.

The Hemi V8 is tipped to reappear in other US models in the Stellantis stable sooner rather than later despite electronic and technical issues relating to the new six-cylinder Hurricane and electric engines.

But the Hemi V8’s return Down Under hasn’t been confirmed by importer Ateco Automotive which has a stockpile of converted right-hand drive Ram 1500 turbo sixes.

“The return of the Hemi V8 is a decision that has been made for the US market. As it stands today, there is no guarantee the Hemi V8 will return to Australian showrooms,” said a Ram Australia spokesperson.

“As with any development, we will continue to review and evaluate what options are made available to us from the vast Ram catalogue in the US.

“We know there are customers who love the sound of a V8, and the Hemi V8 is still available in our Ram 1500 Big Horn model while stock lasts.

“However, customers have also embraced the new Hurricane twin-turbo in-line six-cylinder engine in our latest Ram 1500 models.

“The Hurricane engine remains an integral part of Ram’s future. With more power and torque – and better efficiency than the previous 5.7-litre Hemi V8, we believe the new Hurricane engine series will over time become iconic in its own right.”

Should the revered engine make a return Down Under the lead time would be circa 12-18 months to complete local re-engineering/re-manufacturing for RHD that would entail considerable electronic refurbishment.

It means the earliest we would see a new Hemi V8 powered Ram 1500 would be late 2026 or early 2027, presuming it all gets the go ahead.

Mr Kuniskis confirmed earlier this year the Hemi was never designed to be offered with the updated six-cylinder 1500’s electrical architecture but the company seems to have developed a work-around.

Despite the backflip, Ram continues to stand behind the new Hurricane six-cylinder engine in the US, which is also used by Jeep and is being rolled out to the Dodge brand this year.

“Ram will continue to offer the more powerful and more efficient Hurricane Straight Six Turbo, but we heard loud and clear from consumers: there is no replacement for the iconic Hemi V8,” said Mr Kuniskis.

The iconic engine was dropped for MY25 but the 5.7-litre naturally aspirated V8 returns to the 1500 line-up for MY26, with stocks arriving in US dealerships later this month.

Mr Kuniskis was somewhat apologetic when announcing the Hemi V8’s return saying, “Everyone makes mistakes, but how you handle them defines you. Ram screwed up when we dropped the Hemi, we own it and we fixed it”.

“We’re not just bringing back a legendary V8 engine, we’re igniting an assertive product plan and expanding the freedom of choice in powertrain for our customers,” he added.

Meanwhile, GM has reaffirmed its commitment to V8 engine production, the giant manufacturer dividing V8 allocation into two tranches initially developing and producing a sixth-generation line-up with a majority of the first ($A1.3 billion) funding going towards a factory in Flint, Michigan to produce the engine, while the remaining amount would be allocated for three supply plants in Michigan, Ohio and New York.

The second tranche (A$1.4 billion) will be in its Tonawanda Propulsion factory in Buffalo, New York to build the ‘Gen VI’ V8, alongside the Flint Engine plant – totalling an investment of A$2.7 billion.

“Our significant investments in GM’s Tonawanda Propulsion plant show our commitment to strengthening American manufacturing and supporting jobs in the US,” said GM CEO Mary Barra.

“GM’s Buffalo plant has been in operation for 87 years and is continuing to innovate the engines we build there to make them more fuel efficient and higher performing, which will help us deliver world-class trucks and SUVs to our customers for years to come.”

GM’s Tonawanda factory currently produces not only the current ‘Gen V’ small-block V8 – found in the Chevrolet Silverado pickup – but also the ‘Ecotec Gen III’ four-cylinder, while Flint manufactures a smaller-capacity four, plus a turbo-diesel straight-six.

It is understood GM is yet to announce what designation each engine variant will receive, as well as capacities and other technical details.

Its new investment in V8s comes despite previously committing to an all-electric future by 2035.