Ram 1500 sales up 27% in Q1 2026 — best quarter since 2023. The Hemi returns. The market responds.
When Ram dropped the 5.7-liter Hemi from the 2025 1500 lineup, the reaction was immediate and loud. Forum threads, dealer complaints, and enough direct pressure that Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis went on record owning the mistake without softening it. The Hemi came back for 2026, and the Q1 sales data just confirmed what anyone paying attention already suspected: Ram buyers had been waiting.
Stellantis released its Q1 2026 U.S. sales results on April 1. Total Ram brand sales were up 20 percent year over year, the brand’s best first quarter since 2023, with the Ram 1500 specifically jumping 27 percent and heavy-duty models climbing 21 percent for their best Q1 since 2022. Those numbers landed in an industry moving in the opposite direction.
| Brand / Segment | Q1 2026 Change (YoY) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Ram 1500 | +27% | Best Q1 since 2023 |
| Ram Heavy Duty | +21% | Best Q1 since 2022 |
| Ram (total brand) | +20% | Best Q1 since 2023 |
| Stellantis (total U.S.) | +4% | 305,902 vehicles delivered |
| Ford (total U.S.) | -8.8% | 457,315 units |
| General Motors (total U.S.) | -9.7% | 626,429 units |
| U.S. Industry (est.) | -6% | Based on early Q1 forecasts |
Source: Stellantis Q1 2026 U.S. Sales Release, April 1, 2026
Ford fell 8.8 percent and GM dropped 9.7 percent against a market forecast to be down roughly 6 percent. Ram grew 20 percent. The Hemi did not do all of that alone. New trims including the Backcountry, Rebel X, and Lunar editions expanded the lineup, Ram returned to NASCAR in February with a top-10 finish at Daytona for its first race in 13 years, and the 1500 earned top honors in the J.D. Power 2026 U.S. Vehicle Dependability Study, ranking first in the large light-duty pickup segment. The Hemi return is the headline because it was the loudest mistake and the most direct correction.
The Truck I Drove Tells the Same Story
I spent a week in the 2026 Ram 1500 Limited Longhorn earlier this year, and on paper the Hurricane SO twin-turbo inline-six makes the stronger argument at every turn: more horsepower, more torque, better fuel economy, higher tow and payload ratings. The Hemi makes the emotional appeal with the sound and the more visceral experience. My full review is here.
What the Numbers Mean for Stellantis
Ram’s quarter did not fix Stellantis’ larger problem, as the company’s U.S. market share has fallen from 12.5 percent five years ago to 7.6 percent last year, dropping it to sixth among U.S. automakers behind Honda. Jeff Kommor, Stellantis’ head of U.S. retail sales, kept his tone measured: “There have been plenty of challenges facing the industry this quarter, but these results are proof that we are effectively activating our business reset.” For Ram specifically, the Hemi had been in Ram pickups for over two decades when it was pulled, and buyers made their feelings about that known through a year of sales data. It came back, and so did the buyers, at a rate that outpaced every major competitor while the broader industry was contracting.
