Q&A: Ram 1500 manager Amy Augustine on Hemis, eTorque, and Warlocks

Posted by Talbot Payne on October 7, 2025

Chelsea — Amy Augustine, program manager for Ram light duty trucks, and her team have been working at a feverish pace in recent months to bring back a legend.

The Hemi, Stellantis auto group’s iconic V-8 engine, had been shelved for the 2025 model year for use in Ram’s 1500 pickups under pressure from federal emissions rules.

Sales tanked as customers shied from the Hemi’s replacement, the inline-6 cylinder Hurricane engine. Heads rolled at Stellantis and the company brought back Tim Kuniskis, mastermind of Ram/Dodge’s V-8-focused strategy a decade ago, as North American product chief. Buoyed by new management in Washington, D.C., that scaled back automaker regulations, Ram in December set an ambitious schedule to bring the Hemi back to its best-selling pickup in just eight months — less than half the time of a normal product update.

Amy Augustine, Ram 1500 product manager, has led her team on a feverish pace since December to restore the Hemi V-8 engine to Ram's cash cow after sales nosedived.Amy Augustine, Ram 1500 product manager, has led her team on a feverish pace since December to restore the Hemi V-8 engine to Ram’s cash cow after sales nosedived. Stellantis

Detroit News auto columnist Henry Payne sat down with Augustine at the introduction of the new 2026 Ram truck at the Stellantis Proving Grounds in Chelsea to talk about the Hemi’s return, eTorque electrification and Warlocks.

Question: I’m out at the Proving Grounds in Chelsea testing the 2026 Ram. Amy, they’ve got Hemis back in them, which I know is going to make a lot of truck people happy.

Answer: Yeah, we brought back this engine because our customers demanded it. They were asking for it, and we knew that we had to act. We listen to our customers, and we’ll be bringing that V-8 back into our truck product lineup.

Q: Folks who are not in the truck world may not have noticed. There was a big changeover for the 2025 model year where Ram brought in the Hurricane inline-6 cylinder engine — a wonderful engine, used in a lot of Stellantis product, including the forthcoming Dodge Charger. But in the truck, the Hemi was the majority of sales and the core customer noticed. They really like a V-8 in this truck, and 40% of them say they will buy nothing else.

A: Everyone who’s owned a Hemi, they all have their own reason why it matters to them. So when we took it out of the lineup, we could really feel the customers getting upset. They didn’t understand why we took it out. So we are bringing it back, and we’re super excited about it.

Q: It has a great sound. I’ve been lashing this thing around the property all morning. The other technology that you brought in with your V-6s and V-8s — even before you got to the Hurricane inline-6 — was so-called eTorque technology. Talk about that a little bit.

The 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8 Hemi has been brought back for the 2026 model year.

The 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8 Hemi has been brought back for the 2026 model year. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

A: Our eTorque is a fuel-efficient technology that we have on the trucks. It really helps with the efficiencies of a vehicle.

Q: People hear “eTorque” and they’re going to think plug-in hybrid. But it’s not a hybrid. You use this tech differently than you would find in a typical electrified application.

A: eTorque is considered a mild-hybrid technology that is different than what you’ll find in a typical hybrid. The idea here is it’s a 48-volt system that really helps with startup, with fuel economy. It helps with efficiency.

Q: In the previous-generation truck, you brought in the V-6 and the V-8 eTorque systems. Now, for 2026, you’re essentially bringing back the V-8 — and again mating it with eTorque.

THe 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8 features a 48-volt system for quick, smooth starts.

“The 2026 Ram 1500 eTorque V-8 features a 48-volt system for quick, smooth starts. Henry Payne, The Detroit News

A: We’ve had eTorque technology in our trucks for a while. We had it in the Ram 1500 Classic as well. It’s a (powertrain) that our customers are familiar with.

Q: The truck wars are awesome here in Detroit. You guys have tremendous brand loyalty. We’re sitting in the cabin of a Ram, and the electronics really set you guys apart. Your team spends a lot of time on ergonomics.

A: We listen to our customers. We get a lot of feedback from them, understanding what works for them, and really take that to heart. We want to make sure that we’re building something they want.

Q: The names are glorious as you go up the lineup. Ram 1500s start with the Tradesmen trim. Sounds like a nice daily work truck. But then then you step up to the Big Horn trim, the Warlock, the Rebel. Did you find that customers really identify themselves with those trims?

A: We use the tagline: “freedom of choice.” Each one of these trims is meant for a certain type of customer, and they resonate with them. They really create their own personality within our lineup.

Q: The only one that would seem to be an outlier is an acronym, RHO – short for Ram High Output. But we media all refer to that as “Rhino,” so it’s got some personality too. That’s your performance drug?

A: Yeah, RHO’s our performance drug. You can call it what you like, but RHO is our highest performance truck.

Henry Payne is auto critic for The Detroit News. Find him at hpayne@detroitnews.com or @HenryEPayne.

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