Stellantis Brings Back the $100K Ram TRX V-8, Bucking EV Trend

The Return of the King

It was the truck that refused to die. Last winter, when Stellantis idled the Ram TRX line in Sterling Heights, Michigan, fans lit forums like wildfire—posting burnout videos, dyno sheets, and eulogies to the 702-horsepower V-8 that could outrun a Porsche. Thursday morning, the company quietly reopened the same plant and wheeled the first 2025 TRX off the line, a $100,415 launch edition painted in Baja Yellow.

Deregulation Delivers Horsepower

Sources inside Stellantis tell me the resurrection was green-lit after federal agencies signaled a rollback of 2030 emissions targets for light-duty trucks. "We saw a window," one engineer said, "and we jumped." The truck keeps its 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi, now tuned for 708 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque—enough to clock 4.3 seconds to 60 mph despite 3 tons of steel.

"Customers kept asking, ‘Where’s my V-8?’ We listened," Ram brand CEO Tim Kuniskis told reporters. "Electrification isn’t one-size-fits-all."

What Changes, What Doesn’t

• New long-travel Bilstein adaptive dampers; 13 inches of rear travel
• Interior swaps rotary shifter for pistol-grip lever—purists rejoice
• Base price up 6% to $98,325, but dealers say first allocations are already bid $20K over sticker

Yet the TRX faces fresh predators. Ford’s Raptor R now offers 720 hp, and Chevy’s Silverado ZR2 is mulling a 770-hp LT5 swap. Stellantis insiders hint a hybrid-assisted TRX ‘Hurricane’ is already on the dyno for 2027, but for now, the V-8 reigns.

The Bottom Line

In an era when automakers trumpet battery packs and 0-emission pledges, the Ram TRX redux feels like a last-call burnout on the eve of closing time. Whether it’s a final encore or the start of a deregulated muscle-truck renaissance depends on Washington’s next move—and how loud 50,000 buyers are willing to roar.