A little over a year ago, the return of the HEMI V8 to Stellantis This was already seen as a dramatic shift in strategy. Now, the automaker’s U.S. division is going even further: after reintroducing its 5.7L V8 with eTorque mild hybrid technology, Ram will gradually phase out… hybrid technology. This decision likely meets the expectations of some American customers, but it raises questions about the group’s decarbonization strategy.
The HEMI V8 will once again be powered entirely by a combustion engine
It's now official. Ram has confirmed to MoparInsiders that, starting with the 2027 model year, the 5.7L HEMI V8 equipped with the eTorque system will be gradually replaced by a non-hybrid version.
A few 2027 Ram 1500s will still be produced with the eTorque system during the industrial transition, before the traditional engine becomes standard. This change is significant. The eTorque system relies on a belt-driven motor-generator paired with a 48V battery. The system is designed to recover energy during braking, enable stop/start functionality, and provide occasional assistance to the internal combustion engine.
All of that will disappear. The V8 will, however, retain its cylinder deactivation feature, allowing it to run on four cylinders when power demand is low. Its power output remains rated at 395 ch.
Above all, hybridization had made it possible to bring back the V8 quickly
This decision also sheds some interesting light on the HEMI’s hasty return. In June 2025, we explained that Stellantis had relaunched the 5.7L V8 with eTorque after to have acknowledged that he was wrong to remove it from the Ram 1500. A dedicated team of engineers then completed the work required to reintegrate this mechanism in just six months.
According to MoparInsiders, the decision to use eTorque was also driven by a very pragmatic reason: this configuration already had emissions data, calibrations, and a production history, allowing Ram to expedite the engine’s return. Hybridization therefore appears today to be more of a quick fix to bring back the HEMI than a long-term technical strategy.
More and more choices, but at what cost?
For Stellantis, its U.S. strategy is becoming particularly clear: to give customers a choice of powertrains again. The Ram 1500 will thus be available with Pentastar V6 engines, Hurricane six-cylinder engines, as well as several HEMI V8s, including the spectacular 6.2L supercharged engine producing 777 ch.
From a business perspective, this makes sense. After several years during which Stellantis had heavily invested in the electrification of its model lineups—an effort that proved to be a failure in the United States—the group is now seeking to respond more directly to market expectations. But eliminating even the mild-hybrid system from a 5.7L V8 is still perplexing. It’s obviously highly unlikely that we’ll ever see this engine under the hood of an Alfa Romeo or a Maserati, and even its presence in Europe will remain negligible. Its evolution is nonetheless worth following, as it illustrates how Stellantis is now building its global engine portfolio.
On the one hand, Stellantis is therefore continuing to explore hybridizing its internal combustion engines in Europe. On the other hand, in the United States, the group is even going so far as to remove an existing 48V system from its V8 engine to meet customer expectations.
Offering more choices could help boost sales. One question remains: How far is Stellantis willing to compromise its decarbonization goals to achieve this? Because after the return of the V8, the return of the V8 without hybrid technology sends a new signal. And this clearly goes against the tide of history and looks like a desperate attempt by Stellantis to boost RAM sales in the United States, whatever the cost!
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