The last Ram 1500 pickup powered by the iconic Hemi V8 engine has rolled off the Australian “remanufacturing” production line, marking the end of an era for vehicle that was the first big American pick up to be converted to RHD with factory backing for the local market.
Ram Trucks New Zealand says that a limited number of the V8 models are still available in dealerships across New Zealand, with a turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine set to replace it in the first half of 2025.
The final V8-powered Ram 1500, a Limited model finished in Granite Crystal paint, was completed on December 6, 2024, at the assembly line in Melbourne, Australia. This marked the 28,495th Hemi V8 produced across both the earlier DS Series and the current DT Series.
The company has been remanufacturing US pickups from left-hand-drive to right-hand-drive since December 2015, and the Ram 1500 Hemi V8 has been a part of this process since June 2018.
The remanufacturing process involves more than 400 locally-engineered parts that are manufactured to factory quality and safety standards, with more than 200 workers involved in the process, which takes approximately 14 hours to complete.
“It’s time to bid farewell to the iconic Hemi V8,” said Todd Groves, General Sales Manager for Ram Trucks NZ.
“The Hemi V8 set the standard for high-performance trucks and played a key role in establishing Ram Trucks as a success story in the Australasian market. As we say goodbye to this legendary engine, we look ahead with excitement to its successor – a new-generation turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine set to arrive in the first half of 2025."
The latest incarnation of the 1500 in the US market is powered by either a hybrid version of the venerable Pentastar 3.6-litre V6 or the new Hurricane 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six that replaced the Hemi V8 and is available in either 310kW/635Nm standard output or 400kW/706Nm high output forms.
Ram trucks NZ says that more information on the arrival times and specifications of the new-generation models will be shared in early 2025.
