“Anything you can do; I can do better.” Can you hear that song playing in your head? There’s no other statement that rings truer in the automotive world. If one automaker does something, it’s not long before another follows. The most recent Ram truck revealed is the powerful RHO, which uses a high-output Hurricane engine, but a new long-play ad hints at something else on the horizon.

Leave it to Ram to drop an almost-missed hint

If you watched the ad before reading this part, you might have missed the hint at something more. Early in the video, two KTM dirt bikes ride down the desert façade to meet the convoy of Ram trucks. Although this ad is a reveal for the new Ram 1500 RHO, the dirt bikes are the clue we need. One bike has the 540 number plate on the front, while the other is blank.

The 540 number plate isn’t an accident. This number represents the horsepower churning out of the Hurricane engine in the new RHO pickup truck. Of course, the blank number plate leaves questions and is also a purposeful hint.

Going after the Raptors

Stellantis continues transitioning away from high-displacement V8 engines in favor of turbocharged 6-cylinder engines. The new high-powered Hurricane engine is an example of this transition. The 540 horsepower and 521 lb-ft of torque make the Ram 1500 RHO more powerful than the Ford F-150 Raptor. That said, the work for the Ram truck lineup isn’t done yet.

Currently, the Ford F-150 Raptor R makes 720 horsepower. This is the next figure for Ram to beat, and the Hurricane engine could reach much higher than this figure. Using the HurriCrate engine highlighted by MotorTrend, a new Ram 1500 TRX could produce 1,000 horsepower. This would allow Ram to easily beat the Raptor R.

A higher-powered Ram truck might be electric or hybrid

The Stellantis brands are moving away from V8 engines and toward electrification. This means PHEV and EV models are on the way, and Ram is getting in on the action. The new Ram REV is a fully electric truck, and the Ram 1500 Ramcharger is a unique plug-in hybrid tuck. The new, high-powered Ram truck made to beat the Raptor R could be a PHEV model.

Regardless of how Ram chooses to produce more horsepower in its next three-letter Ram 1500 high-output truck, you can bet the SRT team will be involved in the process. Will this new truck make more horsepower than the Raptor R? Does it come with a HurriCrate engine or an electrically assisted powertrain?

One blank number plate in an ad raises many questions about the next top dog in the Ram 1500 truck lineup.

Source: MotorTrend