Ram prepares a V8 powered Ramcharger as its new large SUV targets Tahoe and Escalade territory
Ram wants to launch its first large SUV and make it something more than a Jeep Grand Wagoneer with a different badge. The plan points towards a tougher, sportier and more V8 focused model. That means the project known as Ramcharger could receive several HEMI V8 engines, including an SRT version whose logical power source would come from the 579 kW Hellcat family.
Ram does not want to build a Wagoneer with another logo
In an interview with The Drive, Ram chief executive Tim Kuniskis discussed how Stellantis plans to separate the Ramcharger from the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, even though the two will be sold through the same wider group network. His message was clear. Jeep will remain focused on luxury, status and the 3.0 litre Hurricane straight six, while Ram will lean into pick up character, a more aggressive look and a V8 based powertrain range.
Stellantis already confirmed that the Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan will start building a new large SUV in 2028, with both combustion engine and range extender electric powertrains. The group will invest almost 100 million dollars (about 92 million euros) to retool the factory and add more than 900 jobs there.
A V8 line up could turn Ramcharger into America’s anti Escalade
Kuniskis did not reveal the final engine range, but he confirmed to The Drive that the Ramcharger’s architecture points more strongly towards V8 power. That opens the door to three logical steps: a 5.7 litre HEMI V8, a 6.4 litre 392 HEMI V8 and a supercharged 6.2 litre HEMI V8 for an SRT version.
Ram already uses the same hierarchy on the new 1500 Rumble Bee sports pick up, where the engine range starts with the 5.7 litre V8 and ends with a 6.2 litre supercharged V8 in the SRT model.
In the Rumble Bee, the 5.7 litre HEMI produces 295 kW. The 6.4 litre 392 reaches 351 kW, while the 6.2 litre supercharged V8 used in the TRX SRT delivers 579 kW and 922 Nm. If Ram carries that engine over to a Ramcharger SRT, the SUV would line up directly against the Cadillac Escalade V, whose 6.2 litre supercharged V8 produces 508 kW and 885 Nm.
Grand Wagoneer stays comfortable, Ramcharger wants noise and muscle
For the 2026 model year, the Jeep Grand Wagoneer uses a 3.0 litre twin turbo Hurricane straight six with 313 kW and 635 Nm. A range extender electric version will follow later, with system output of 483 kW and 841 Nm. Jeep is therefore playing the refinement, space and technology card. Ram wants to give a model in the same class a more mechanical and emotional identity.
For Stellantis, that is a logical risk. The Chevrolet Tahoe continues with 5.3 litre and 6.2 litre V8 engines. The Ford Expedition uses a 3.5 litre twin turbo V6 with up to 328 kW and 691 Nm. The Cadillac Escalade V still sells a large supercharged V8 as a show of force in the luxury SUV world.
The Ramcharger could sit neatly between them, mixing Tahoe style practicality with some of the Escalade V’s brute force theatre.
European view: fascinating, but a difficult niche
For Europe, the Ramcharger will not be a mass market model. It is more likely to become a niche product sold through special channels and official importers. Ram already sells the 1500 in Europe through a dedicated European site and dealer network, but a full size American SUV faces familiar obstacles here: size, CO2 costs, taxation and homologation.
Even so, the Ramcharger would matter. Europe is full of electric and hybrid large SUVs, but a V8 powered body on frame model now feels like an increasingly rare act of resistance. That could make it a collectible niche machine rather than just another American import.
Technical snapshot
Model: a large body on frame SUV known as Ramcharger, with production planned for 2028.
Platform: architecture related to the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, built at Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michigan.
Possible engine range: 5.7 litre HEMI V8, 6.4 litre 392 HEMI V8 and a 6.2 litre supercharged V8 for an SRT version.
Possible flagship benchmark: the Ram TRX SRT engine produces 579 kW and 922 Nm, while the Cadillac Escalade V answers with 508 kW and 885 Nm.
European perspective: likely a niche product rather than a wide official launch, with homologation, CO2 taxes and importer strength deciding how far it can go.
Ram does not need the Ramcharger to be subtle. It needs it to feel different enough from the Grand Wagoneer that nobody has to ask why it exists.
