Restored Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis explains why he’s back

testerdahl

testerdahl

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Get in there, Maverick! He won’t last down there alone! Get in the fight, for Christ’s sake! Maverick! Maverick! Maverick’s reengaging, sir. Just like the 1986 Top Gun movie lines, the Tim Kuniskis has re-engaged in the truck fight. Making a surprise appearance at a Ram media event, Kuniskis walked out to Eminem’s “Without Me” song, with the lyrics “Guess who’s back” echoing in the background. During his brief remarks, he said he was ready to stop the brand from “getting their asses kicked.” The song is fitting as the well-respected executive returns after a 6-month hiatus. His return is […] (read full article...)
 
testerdahl said:
Get in there, Maverick! He won’t last down there alone! Get in the fight, for Christ’s sake! Maverick! Maverick! Maverick’s reengaging, sir. Just like the 1986 Top Gun movie lines, the Tim Kuniskis has re-engaged in the truck fight. Making a surprise appearance at a Ram media event, Kuniskis walked out to Eminem’s “Without Me” song, with the lyrics “Guess who’s back” echoing in the background. During his brief remarks, he said he was ready to stop the brand from “getting their asses kicked.” The song is fitting as the well-respected executive returns after a 6-month hiatus. His return is […] (read full article...)
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Are going to actually give him any kind of control? or is it a ceremonial type of job?
 
Hilux said:
I wonder if he is pushing for a v8 again.
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I plan on using this quote in my truck news recap tomorrow.

“Everybody wanted to keep [Hemi],” said one source. “But it was, ‘You need to be greener’” and there was little to nothing they could do to change the decision.

 
Another question, was the decision to kill the Hemi an internal Stelantis decision to appear more "green" or was it based off of some EPA rule that meant the Hemi could not be brought into compliance?
 
Hilux said:
Another question, was the decision to kill the Hemi an internal Stelantis decision to appear more "green" or was it based off of some EPA rule that meant the Hemi could not be brought into compliance?
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Internal decision looking at EPA and Euro 6 standards.

Here’s the thing about the EPA emission rules. Everyone gets them wrong. The CAFE rules don’t specifically say anything about what engine or engine technologies automakers can use.

Instead, they set CO2 targets based on feedback from… automakers and many other parties.

They also have to factor in reliability, costs to the consumers and if the rules provide real financial benefits to the public. If the rules increase costs, they can’t be implemented.

I know most people will read that and scoff. I get it, but that’s really part of the rules.

That’s why you hear a lot about fuel savings since that can justify the rule change.
 
With all that said, there’s nothing about EPA compliance for the Hemi. It wasn’t out of compliance.

Stellantis, as a company, was out of compliance. Killing the Hemi was Stellantis decision factoring in future fines, being uncompetitive in other markets and not having a lineup of other vehicles with better mpg to offset the Hemi.
 
Hopefully he can make some small moves in the short term to get Ram’s inventory more competitive. Longer term we will see. I could easily see some adjustments on the trims being offered and perhaps some more options on the lower end trims. I’m not sure how much he can influence price but back in 2019 and before RAM was still a value option compared to Ford and GM (IMHO). It would be nice to see RAM sharpen their pencils and be more competitive on price while perhaps bringing back a new version of their halo vehicle the TRX (with a 6.4L V8) for the top end. In the meantime the RHO has to start delivering in large numbers.
 
testerdahl said:
With all that said, there’s nothing about EPA compliance for the Hemi. It wasn’t out of compliance.

Stellantis, as a company, was out of compliance. Killing the Hemi was Stellantis decision factoring in future fines, being uncompetitive in other markets and not having a lineup of other vehicles with better mpg to offset the Hemi.
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Tim, if Ram threw some smaller SUVs out there with smaller engines/lower emissions, would that help their overall compliance as a brand?
 
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