A New Report Says the HEMI is Coming Back

Just yesterday, I wrote about the 2025 Dodge Charger Daytona EV and how fans are pleading with the company to speed up production of the gas-powered version and bring back the popular HEMI engine. Dodge phased out its popular HEMI-powered Challengers and Chargers in 2023. The reaction from fans has been similar to when Ram announced it was phasing out its 2024 Ram 1500 TRX that featured a HEMI. The truck has been replaced by the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO which has significant horsepower and much better gas mileage. Now, there is word out of the Detroit area that Stellantis has agreed to give consumers what they want and bring back HEMI engines.

Resurrecting the Popular HEMI Engines

There has been talk that Stellantis could bring back the popular HEMI engines, ever since Carlos Tavares was forced out of his role as CEO. Tavares was focused on transforming the automaker into building mostly EVs, even though potential buyers weren’t sold on the idea. Sales have been dreadful since the company shifted resources into retooling for EVs. Once President Trump was elected and eased the mandates to go all-electric, the call to bring back big engines became louder.

Now, a publication called MoparInsiders, is reporting that HEMIs will go back into production at the Dundee Engine Plant southwest of Detroit, in August. MoparInsiders says that Stellantis is not only restarting production of the 5.7-liter HEMI V-8, but also restarting production of larger HEMI V-8s as well.

MoparInsiders says, “That’s right, the HEMI’s return isn’t limited to just the 5.7-liter version. According to our sources, Stellantis also plans to restart production of the popular 6.4-liter (392 cubic-inch) “Apache” HEMI V8 and the powerful supercharged 6.2-liter HEMI HELLCAT V8s, as well.”

Right now, Stellantis is using up its leftover HEMIs in some 2025 Dodge Durangos and Jeep Wranglers.

Moving HEMI Production to Michigan

Stellantis used to produce the HEMIs at a plant in Mexico. Production ended when the automaker switched over to building the inline 6 twin-turbocharged Hurricane engines. The 2025 Ram RHO with the all-new, more powerful and more efficient 3.0-liter Hurricane High Output (H/O) Straight-Six Turbo (SST) engine. The truck is rated at 540 horsepower and 521 lb.-ft. of torque. It will do 0-60 mph in 4.6 seconds. It will also do 0-100 mph in 11.7 seconds. It has a top speed of 118 mph.

The Ram RHO has been well-received but still many fans are clamoring for the company to bring back the Ram 1500 TRX. The TRX was rated at 702 horsepower and 650 lb.-ft. of torque with the 6.2-liter supercharged HEMI V-8 engine. The TRX has an incredible top speed of 118 mph. The Ram TRX launches from 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds with a quarter mile in 12.9 seconds at 108 mph.

Interesting Timing

The move to restart the Dundee Engine Plant comes as President Trump is still threatening to impose tariffs on imports from Mexico and Canada. Building the engines in a facility that Stellantis already owns in America makes sense.  However, retooling doesn’t happen overnight. That’s why it will take until August to get the HEMI engines into production. The timing will also coincide with when Dodge says it will start producing gas-powered Dodge Charger Daytonas. The production timeline gives Stellantis time to decide where a HEMI engine will be most effective in boosting sales.

Ram Photo

Mary Conway is a professional automotive journalist and has decades of experience specializing in automotive news analysis. She covered the Detroit Three for more than twenty years for the ABC affiliate, in Detroit. Her affection for the Motor City comes naturally. Her father ran a gas station while Mary was growing up, in Wisconsin.

Follow Mary Conway at @MaryConwayMedia and send her car news tips for future stories.