Are V8 engines going away? It turns out the familiar V8-powered pickup truck is here to stay for the foreseeable future. We have the data to prove it. Let’s dig in!
This granularity of data is difficult to find, but our friend Sam Abuelsamid can do it. Sam is an automotive engineer, industry analyst, and automotive podcaster. Check out the Wheel Bearings Podcast.
Sam pulled up North American light-duty (half-ton) pickup truck production numbers by engine type over the last six years (2018-2023). These numbers include all production for the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
Chevy Silverado 1500 & GMC Sierra 1500
Let’s take a look at the General Motors (Chevy Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500) engine production. GM has always been big into V8-powered pickup trucks. From the introduction of the small-block V8, to the LS V8 engines, and many other generations – the 5.3L and 6.2L 8-cylinder engines have been a central theme for GM pickups in recent years. GM’s V8 truck share decreased significantly from 2018 to 2023. It went from 93% of all light-duty trucks sold in 2018 to 62% in 2023. Nearly two thirds of all GM trucks had a V8 under the hood during the 2023 year of production. GM recently invested nearly $900 million into the next-generation V8 engine production.
The recent introduction of the 2.7L TurboMax I4 turbocharged gasoline and the 3.0L Duramax I6 turbo-diesel engines has decreased the GM V8’s dominance. However, the V8 Chevy or GMC pickup truck will be here to stay for the next decade.
Ford F-150
Rumors have previously told us that about 10% of all F-150 trucks are sold with a V8 engine (the “Coyote”). This data shows otherwise. The V8 F-150 popularity went from 31% in 2018 to 23.5% in 2023. This is far more than we originally thought.
The twin-turbo V6 engines dominate F-150 sales, but about a quarter of all trucks still had that V8. By the way, the 5.2L Supercharged V8 has joined the F-150 lineup in the Raptor R for the 2023 model year. It will be interesting to see how these percentages change in 2024 and 2025, as Ford puts a higher emphasis on the F-150 PowerBoost Hybrid powertrain.
Ram 1500
What’s going on with the Ram’s 5.7L HEMI V8? It has been dominant in the Ram 1500 over the last two decades. The 5.7L V8 popularity went from 85% in 2018 to 72% in 2023. Ram discontinued the 5.7L V8 about a year ago. All 2025 Ram 1500 pickup trucks have been equipped with a 3.0L twin-turbo Hurricane I6 or 3.6L Pentastar V6 engines. Ram is bringing the 5.7L V8 back for the 2026 model year that will go on sale within the next several months.
We predict that the 5.7L V8 will compose at least 10% of all Ram 1500 sales in 2026. This percentage may be higher.
Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” removes Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) enforcement. How will this affect different truck engine production and sales? We are guessing that automakers may have more freedom to build and sell engines that are most profitable for them. This may include more V8 engines and supercharged V8 engines.
Please join Sam and I in the video below for more discussion on this topic.
