Ram TRX V-8 pickup truck returns $100,000

DETROIT — Stellantis The company is reviving a V-8-powered Ram pickup truck called the TRX as the company faces fewer federal emissions regulations and enacts a U.S. sales turnaround plan for its brands.

The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will be available in late 2026 for about $100,000, the automaker said Thursday. It was first produced for the 2021-2024 models before being canceled as the company reduced focus on V-8 engines.

The TRX is powered by a 6.2-liter supercharged “Hellcat” gasoline engine capable of generating 777 horsepower and 680 pound-feet of torque. The automaker calls it the “world’s fastest and most powerful gas-powered pickup truck” capable of 0-60 mph in 3.5 seconds and a top speed of 118 mph.

“We had to push it to the next level,” Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said during a recent media event. “We’re so happy to have this guy back.”

Despite relatively low sales in the past due to the vehicle’s price, the TRX is viewed as a “halo” model for the brand, or an upscale vehicle that will draw attention to Ram and perhaps boost sales of other models. It’s been a winning strategy for Kuniskis, especially with the company’s SRT performance cars.

The TRX’s return is the brand’s latest move under Kuniskis, who has been leading the turnaround plan since retiring from the automaker a year ago.

Kuniskis aims to make more than 25 announcements over the next year. So far they’ve included a return to NASCAR with mechanical bull riding and a new race truck, reviving Hemi V-8 engines with a new “protest symbol,” and killing off the long-awaited electric version of its 1500 truck.

The 2027 Ram 1500 SRT TRX will start at $99,995, excluding a mandatory $2,595 destination charge that brings the price to $102,590. Initial TRX price started at $71,690 in 2020, including destination.

Ram on Thursday also announced a high-output Cummins 6.7-liter turbo diesel engine for its heavy-duty 2027 Ram Power Wagon with 430 horsepower and 1,075 pound-feet of torque.

Many of the new efforts run counter to Stellantis’ previous plans to discontinue V-8 gas vehicles amid tougher fuel economy regulations and penalties. But these policies have either weakened or disappeared under the Trump administration.

Kuniskis said a pullback would help sales, but “it would do it anyway” regardless of the criteria.

Kuniskis has embraced V-8 engines again, including reviving the TRX, as part of an attempt to revive Stellantis sales in the United States, which declined under former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares from 2021 to 2024.

During that period, the automaker — formed in 2021 through the merger of Fiat Chrysler and PSA Group — fell from the No. 4 automaker in U.S. sales to No. 6.

Stellantis sales during the third quarter of last year were 6% lower than a year earlier. Cox Automotive expects the automaker to end the year with sales of 1.25 million in the United States, down 4.4% from 2024 and far from the more than 2 million sales in 2020.

Kuniskis, who also oversees all of Stellantis’ U.S. brands, said both Ram and Jeep — the automaker’s most important domestic brands — are on “the right direction” to capitalize on growth next year.

That may be more difficult than in the past, with auto forecasters like Cox predicting relatively flat or even declining car sales in 2026. That means the automaker will have to conquer buyers from other brands.

“It’s still a strong industry, so as long as we get our share of it, we’ll be OK,” Kuniskis said.

Ram isn’t the only Stellantis brand looking for a renaissance.

Jeep CEO Bob Bruderdorf, much like Kuniskis, has initiated a turnaround strategy for the company’s Jeep brand. Jeep has seen years of annual declines in sales since achieving record sales of more than 973,000 vehicles in 2018.

The “Jeep Reset” plan involves redefining the brand’s prices, models and standard features, according to Bruderdorf.

“I think this will be the final piece of the puzzle to reset the foundation for Jeep this year and really get into what makes it special moving forward,” Bruderdorf told CNBC during a Dec. 16 interview. “It’s a much better Jeep.”

Kuniskis described the Jeep retuning plan as “making Jeep more Jeep.”

The latest actions essentially simplify Jeep’s product lineup into fewer models, more content and a pricing strategy with less overlap, from smaller vehicles like the Compass and Cherokee to the larger Grand Cherokee and Grand Wagoneer.

“The entire Jeep lineup is better,” Bruderdorf said. “I think we’re laying a very strong foundation for growth next year, in addition to the new vehicles.”

Upcoming new Jeep vehicles include the Cherokee midsize SUV, as well as the all-electric Recon inspired by the popular Wrangler off-road SUV.

2025 could be the year Jeep breaks the trend and achieves its first U.S. sales increase since 2018, but Bruderdorf said in mid-December that the brand will be close to the target, so it could go in either direction.

Broderdorf said Jeep remains profitable despite price changes as well as declining sales amid the turnaround plan.

“We will grow healthy,” he said. “I think this is what the brand needs. We will grow.”