Call it a comeback, but like all good things the party will only last so long. The Father of the Hellcats Tim Kuniskis knows it.
The Hellcat-powered Ram TRX returned a mere 8 days ago, but how long it will exist is unclear. In an exclusive interview Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis told The Drive, “I don’t know, call Washington. I have no idea.”
Kuniskis elaborated, “It’s like when people ask me, well, what’s going on with tariffs? I don’t know. I don’t know, man. I make cars.”
The answer on whether the TRX will live for years to come or die a quick death will come down to regulations and politics. Both of which are currently in an extremely volatile state much to the frustration of automotive execs across the industry.
In November 2021 I sat across the table from Kuniskis as he told me the Hellcats would die after 2023 (specifically referring to the Dodge-badged cars). The Hellcat-powered Ram TRX had a brief stay of execution with a short 2024 model-year run, but production ended in December 2023. Regulations killed the Hellcats. Except, somehow, the Durango Hellcat, which just kept getting final editions until the decision came to just keep making it indefinitely.
Kuniskis, then CEO of both Dodge and Ram, retired in June 2024 only to return to Stellantis and the role of Ram CEO in December of that year. Kuniskis’ return to Stellantis came seven days after the company ousted CEO Carlos Tavares.
A month into the job Kuniskis said he was open to bringing back the Hemi V8. Six months later the Hemi V8 returned and it was deemed a “symbol of protest.”
A month later newly-installed Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa said the TRX would return in 2026. And it did, on January 1, 2026.
Kuniskis has been a loud champion about “vehicle choice” and the Trump administration has made moves to trash car emission regulations.
But Kuniskis’ answer to how long the TRX’s return will last is more of a warning to enthusiasts than it might seem. Things are volatile and not even the CEO of Ram can say whether we’ll have the TRX for years to come or not. The rowdy party is back on, for now, until the music stops again.
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