Stellantis Aims to Build 100,000+ HEMI Engines in 2026
Helped by the Trump administration’s rollback of fuel economy and emission regulations in the U.S., Stellantis plans to significantly increase production of HEMI V8 engines in 2026 to meet strong demand.
The news was shared with Mopar Insiders by Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, who is also head of American brands as well as North American marketing and retail strategy at Stellantis, during the Detroit Auto Show.
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In 2025, Kuniskis said the automaker received some 50,000 orders for HEMI-powered vehicles, but was only able to produce around 30,000. This supply shortfall naturally hurt sales and increased delivery times for customers. It should also be noted that Stellantis ramped up production of the six-cylinder Hurricane engine last year, notably in preparation for the new Dodge Charger Sixpack.
The goal for 2026 is to manufacture over 100,000 HEMI engines, more than tripling the 2025 output. Kuniskis expects the V8 to account for roughly 35-40 percent of sales by the end of the year.
Based on his other statements, we can safely assume that the Saltillo plant down in Mexico (which also builds Hurricane engines) will no longer be the only one manufacturing HEMIs at some point in the near future. The Dundee engine plant in Michigan, located near the one assembling the Ram 1500 in Sterling Heights, appears to be a logical destination. In fact, rumours to that effect began circulating almost a year ago.
Further announcements from Ram and Stellantis are expected in the coming weeks and months, keep following The Car Guide to stay up to date.
As a reminder, the HEMI V8 is available in three configurations: 5.7 litres (Ram 1500, Dodge Durango), 6.4 litres (Jeep Wrangler 392, Ram Heavy Duty) and 6.2 litres with supercharger (Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat, Ram 1500 SRT TRX).
