With last calls on the wild Ram TRX called in Australia, the newly revealed RHO will be the interim flagship in the United States featuring Ram’s new ‘Hurricane’ twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine pumping out 403kW and 706Nm.
In the release film for the RHO though, there’s a hidden teaser for an as-yet unnamed TRX successor.
If you’ve seen the star-studded video, we wouldn't blame you for missing the easter egg which Ram’s head of advertising Jeff Summers had to explain via a LinkedIn post.
Two dirt bikes appear in the sand dunes, one wearing the number ‘540’ as a reference to the 540hp output of the new RHO and one conspicuously un-numbered.
Why? It was “intentionally left blank for the next Ram High HP vehicle with three letters", according to Summers. A new TRX has got to be on the way.
The outgoing TRX Final Edition, which costs $249,950 before on-road costs, is a potent beast. The supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 produces 523kW and 882Nm, so even though the twin-turbo Hurricane is punchy the old-school Hemi V8 still has it beat.
There’s shelf space for an even more potent version, then. Squeezing more grunt out of the 3.0-litre Hurricane will be a tough task, though – BMW’s renowned 3.0-litre inline-six only produces up to 405kW in M4 CSL trim.
With marketing boss Summers noting there may even be “a few more” teasers, perhaps the ‘RC’ lettering and lightning bolt on the trailer are significant. Ram’s new plug-in hybrid Ramcharger powertrain (RC, anyone?) could potentially be repurposed.
It’s already said to develop 488kW (663hp), so with a bigger electric motor and battery it could very well blow the TRX’s supercharged V8 out of the water.
We know already that the RHO won’t be the outright flagship to rival Ford’s F-150 Raptor and Chevy’s Silverado LT Trail Boss, with Ram boss Tim Kuniskis previously telling media that the TRX name remains on the shelf for the future.
There's no confirmation yet that the TRX replacement will be a hybrid, or a time frame for its release. Ram’s Australian importer, Ateco, has not confirmed any further details about the new Hurricane-powered 1500 range.
Comments