The Hemi fades away as Stellantis electrifies its Ram trucks

investing.com:

By Joseph White

DETROIT (Reuters) — Stellantis (NYSE:STLA) will offer a previously undisclosed plug-in hybrid model of its Ram pickup truck, called Ramcharger, and phase out V-8 Hemi engines as part of its strategy to cut the CO2 emissions of its North American fleet.

Stellantis will no longer offer the popular Hemi V-8 engine in 2025-model light-duty Ram pickup trucks and instead will offer six-cylinder combustion engines, in addition to the previously announced battery-electric Ram REV and the Ramcharger, the automaker said.

Selling more hybrid and electric trucks and improving the fuel efficiency of Ram combustion models is critical to Chrysler parent Stellantis. The company is paying fines for failing to meet U.S. emissions standards, and faces steeper penalties as those rules get tighter.

A Hemi V-8 will still be offered in Ram heavy-duty trucks. The company has not disclosed future production plans for light-duty Ram Classic trucks, which are based on previous generation Ram designs. Hemi engines are currently available on certain Ram Classic models.

The plug-in hybrid Ramcharger model, scheduled to go on sale by 2025, is a bet that many Detroit brand buyers are not ready for an all-electric pickup like the Tesla (NASDAQ:TSLA) Cybertruck, Rivian (NASDAQ:RIVN) R1T, Ford (NYSE:F)'s F-150 Lightning or the all-electric Chevy Silverado from General Motors (NYSE:GM).

GM and Ford have scaled back production plans for their electric trucks as demand has fallen short of earlier goals.

For the near term, most Ram trucks will be powered by combustion engines. Starting in the first quarter of 2024, the eight-cylinder Hemi that has been central to light-duty Ram pickup marketing since 2003 will be phased out.

Instead, 2025