Is a Ram 1500 Hellcat in the works?
An eagle-eyed person picked up on what might be a pavement-pounding Easter egg.
Fiat Chrysler has already shoved its supercharged 6.2-liter V8 into a Dodge Challenger and a Jeep Grand Cherokee, but why stop there? Why not shove it into, say, a pickup truck? The 2019 Ram 1500, perhaps?
The 2019 Ram 1500 hasn't even existed in public for a week, but already there's a hint of something bigger on the horizon. Eagle-eyed Ram fans at Allpar pointed out that, if you zoom in on one shot of the Ram's new infotainment system, the clock is set to 7:07.
If you're wondering what a Hellcat-powered 1500 would be like, imagine this picture but with way more motion blur. Or tire smoke.
The idea is that this is an Easter egg pointing to a future Hellcat-powered Ram 1500, but thus far, Ram isn't about to say anything. Automakers routinely decline to discuss future products, especially ones as intriguing as this, and Ram isn't going to alter that narrative, with a spokesman telling me over email that the clock thing is a "strange coincidence and total speculation."
While you might be keen to cast this aside as a happy coincidence or a red herring, FCA has a history of doing things like this. Just before the 707-horsepower Hellcat was officially announced, there was a photo from Dodge where the Challenger's infotainment screen showed SiriusXM's '70s on 7 channel. 70, 7, 707 -- get it?
There's also precedence for shoving that specific motor into this truck. Back in 2016, Ram unveiled the Rebel TRX concept, which slid a detuned (575-hp) version of the Hellcat's 6.2-liter V8 under the hood of a Ram 1500 Rebel. It may have appeared as a one-off concept back then, but given this potential Easter egg, perhaps it was a very, very, very early preview?
Even if that's not the case, there's plenty to love about the new Ram 1500. The 2019 model year brings a fresh look on the outside, a 225-pound weight loss, a new 48-volt mild hybrid system and a massive 12-inch portrait-style touchscreen infotainment system. A diesel is on the way, as well, but it won't arrive until 2019.
(Hat tip to MotorAuthority!)
