No V8, No Sale: 40% of Pickup Buyers Won’t Consider a Brand Without One, Stellantis CEO Says

We now know the reason Ram got priority over Dodge with the return of the Hemi V8 engine.

On Thursday, in Detroit, Michigan after presenting Stellantis’ turnaround plan CEO Antonio Filosa told The Drive, “40% of the buyers of a pickup won’t consider a specific pickup brand if this brand doesn’t offer a V8.” For a moment, Ram didn’t offer the V8 engine option anymore. It was all six-cylinders all the time.

“In the U.S. we are really reshaping our powertrain strategy in what we call Freedom of Choice. Once you remove the emissions regulation target by the administration, we understood our customers were interested in different options, including a very powerful internal combustion engine. That’s why in less than one year, talking about time to market, we were able to effectively return the legendary Hemi V8 to our pickup trucks,” Filosa said.

Filosa continued, “And the reason why we selected pickup trucks first is because we saw that 40% of the buyers of a pickup won’t consider a specific pickup brand if this brand doesn’t offer a V8. Even if they buy another engine, they want that brand to offer a V8.”

Filosa quickly followed these comments by saying, “That does not mean that we are abandoning our EV strategy in the U.S.,” and noted that the Jeep Recon EV will launch first, this year, ahead of bringing a gas-powered iteration in 12 to 18 months.

The CEO charged with leading the automotive goliath’s turnaround noted that if electrification and EVs comes roaring back “for any reason in the U.S. or North America,” then it can turn to its more-mature electrification programs in Europe. Filosa said the global automaker can tap its European arms to spin up EVs in the North American market quickly if need be.

Filosa provided no data for the claim that 40% of pickup buyers won’t consider a brand without a V8 engine option, but data does point to the fact that the V8 is no longer America’s truck engine. That tracks with the executive’s note that V8 availability matters “even if they buy another engine.” Roughly only 25% of Ford F-150s sold have a V8 under the hood, and it’s America’s best-selling pickup by a wide margin.

The Ram 1500 did get its Hemi V8 back, but it’s not necessarily better for it. The Hurricane turbocharged inline-six is actually more efficient while also delivering more power. But Filosa’s comments may point to the reason GM’s developing a new small-block V8 for its pickups that will arrive in 2027 as the cross-town rival sticks with V8 power.

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