Ute News

The final Ram 1500 pick-up powered by a Hemi V8 rolled down the production line In Melbourne last Friday, ahead of the switchover to the new six-cylinder engine, Ram Trucks Australia has announced.The last of the 'Hemi' V8s found its way into a Ram 1500 limited with Granite Crystal paint, the 28,495th RAM pick-up to be remanufactured in Australia.The departure of that iconic V8 engine will be a sad goodbye for many fans of the Ram and Mopar brands in the United States, the 1500 has already made the switchover to the new 'Hurricane' six-cylinder powerplant due to emission regulations.This means the vehicles that arrive for remanufacturing from now on will have them, too. “All good things must come to an end and it’s time for us to farewell the iconic Hemi V8,” said Ram Trucks Australia General Manager Jeff Barber.“Australians love their utes and they love their V8s and the Ram 1500 delivered the best of both worlds.“Our customers – many of whom have come from traditional utes and four-wheel-drives – tell us they appreciate the extra space, the extra comfort, and the stronger towing performance, and clearly that’s why these vehicles are so popular.”The 5.7-litre petrol V8 Hemi makes 291kW and 556Nm, while the incoming 3.0-litre twin-turbo inline six makes 309kW and 470Nm.The good news is that there is stock remaining of V8 Hemi-powered Rami 1500s.“We have been overwhelmed by the response to the HEMI V8 runout, and we understand some buyers who want one of the last V8s may miss out,” said Mr Barber.“However, we hope to have enough stock to fulfil most orders.“We will have a very worthy successor next year powered by a new-generation turbocharged six-cylinder petrol engine, but we will have more to say about that closer to local showroom arrivals.”Ram Trucks Australia has been remanufacturing US pick-up trucks since 2018. In the case of the Ram 1500 once the production facility in Clayton Victoria takes delivery of a vehicle it’s converted from left to right-hand drive — using 400 locally made parts — in a process which takes 200 workers 14 hours to complete a single vehicle. The Ram 1500 has been a big success story for the brand in Australia with 2962 year-to-date sales. Whether the introduction of the six cylinder affects the appeal and popularity of the pick up remains to be seen. The Hemi isn't the first V8 to go, with key rivals including the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra both launching in Australia with turbo 'sixes. It leaves the Chevrolet Silverado as the only remaining big ute to pack a V8.    

Chinese carmakers are on the march, with sales growing globally and in Australia.

So you want to have the biggest ute on the road? You’ll have to pay for it.  Just like here in Australia, the best-selling vehicles in the United States are pick-up trucks. In their case, it’s the home-brewed Ford F-150 and has been for over 40 years. In Australia the F-truck’s Ford Ranger cousin will take top honours this year. 

Could an SUV top the sales charts in Australia for the first time ever this year?

Australians will once again be able to buy the Toyota LandCruiser 70 Series with a manual gearbox.

The Toyota RAV4 hybrid topped sales charts again in November, but it isn’t likely to take the number one spot from the Ford Ranger this year.

Mazda revealed a facelift BT-50 at the Thailand Motor Expo, but there’s a twist.

Like the Ram pick-up truck but wanted something a bit smaller? Like the size of a Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux? Well, according to Ram’s United States boss so do they, and a ute similar in size to the Ranger or Hilux could be coming.

Last week, Ford dropped a bombshell by announcing the Ranger Super Duty line of tough workhorse utes. This week, we’ve learned that it will incorporate the big North American-market F-250 Super Duty’s eight-stud, steel wheel and all-terrain tyre package.

Some cars just seem to inspire such blind loyalty – such frothing, furious devotion – that they can get away with anything. And sometimes that 'anything' becomes very clear once a rival product launches.