Chelsea — Ram already sells pickups for the worksite, for off-roading, for luxurious highway cruising.Now, it's reviving an unusual breed of truck that is lower, shorter and tuned for burning rubber or carving turns on the street and track — a "muscle truck," as Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis describes it.This week, the Stellantis NV brand unveiled three versions of the Hemi V8-powered 1500 Rumble Bee. The name calls back to a similar street truck that Dodge briefly produced 20 years ago.AdvertisementAdvertisementIt's the latest in an onslaught of Ram product announcements over the last year — many of them based around the gas-guzzling Hemi engine's revival — as Kuniskis seeks to create excitement and find new customers for a brand that hasn't lived up to its potential in recent years. The buzzy muscle truck reveal also comes just ahead of a pivotal Thursday investor day gathering in Auburn Hills where Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa is set to reveal the company's new strategic plan, expected to focus heavily on revitalizing both the Ram and Jeep brands.The new Rumble Bees include a 395-horsepower base trim; a mid-level 470-horsepower version, which will also be available with a special track package; and the top-end 777-horsepower SRT iteration with a supercharged Hellcat engine, boasting a 0-60 mph time of 3.4-seconds and a targeted top speed of 170 mph.The base Rumble Bee is scheduled to reach dealers first, sometime late this year. Ram hasn't disclosed pricing for the Mexico-made trucks, which will be subject to heightened import tariffs under the Trump administration. But Kuniskis indicated the cheapest version would cost around what a Ram 1500 Big Horn does, in the $50,000 range, with the top-end SRT price likely comparable to the brand's most expensive off-roading pickup, the TRX, at roughly $100,000.Dodge made Ram pickups in the past that were focused on tearing up the street, including the Lil' Red Express, left, and the SRT-10. Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said they were never big sellers.The muscle truck launch coincides with Ram's return to NASCAR's truck racing circuit. The brand fittingly revealed the new Rumble Bees on one of the automaker's test tracks at its Chelsea Proving Grounds near Ann Arbor, racing the trucks by a crowd of journalists, influencers and other attendees before screening a commercial that featured Kuniskis and NASCAR legend Tony Stewart pitted against each other on a racetrack.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Trucks used to be just work tools," Kuniskis told the crowd, right before the first of three Rumble Bees blazed past him. "Now, they're like Silly Putty. It's for whatever you want. They can be workhorses, they can be luxury vehicles, they can be used for off-road, and they're so natural for off-road. The question is, what do you do next?"More: Stellantis CEO to reveal new company strategy this week. Here's what to expectThe Ram muscle trucks won't have much direct competition. Only Ford Motor Co. sells pavement-performance trucks, with the Lobo trims of its F-150 and Maverick pickups. Still, Kuniskis acknowledged the brand's big investment into the new truck category isn't guaranteed to pay off. The company tried out selling such street-focused models in the past, and they garnered loyal niche followings but few sales."Is it going to work? I don't know. I have no clue," Kuniskis said. "Are we answering a question that nobody's asking? Maybe, but this is absolutely one of those take-a-flyer, no-data-research moments to try and build a product mode.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Build a product, because as an enthusiast, me, us, we all know that we would buy this product, and so we hope we're not going to be alone on that," he added. "This is absolutely a hold-my-beer, watch-this, push-the-chips-in moment."More: Ram's turnaround includes Dakota's revival, an SUV and 'muscle trucks'Ram is, of course, launching the trucks on a bit more than a hunch. It already knows bringing back the Hemi V-8 has been popular with buyers, and the new trucks use different versions of that engine across all three trims. The brand was able to bring back the engines more widely because of looser emissions regulations under the Trump administration.Kuniskis said the Rumble Bees also strike a better balance of muscle car performance and functionality than past street trucks, with their usable beds and four doors, which means they should appeal to a wider audience. And their launch arrives just as Ram believes many muscle car owners who bought Chargers, Challengers, Camaros or Mustangs more than a decade ago are looking to trade in their vehicles for something new.AdvertisementAdvertisement"Do they come now and buy another muscle car?" Kuniskis said. "Or do they — and I call this the spousal alibi — do they use the spousal alibi to say, I can drive this every day, I can get this thing that's very muscular, like my weekend toy, but I can drive it every single day. I can tow the boat, I can put the kids in the back, I can have the payload for mulch, but I also got a bad-ass drive."Ram's muscle truck launch coincides with its return this year to the NASCAR truck racing circuit with the Kaulig Racing team.Mark Trostle, who leads Ram's exterior design, said the design team along with Kuniskis started brainstorming the muscle truck idea not long after Kuniskis came out of retirement to lead the brand in late 2024. They agreed the proportions had to be right to make the truck appear muscular: shorter, wider, and with an extra mean-looking grille."This truck really has that presence in the proportion alone, and I think it's just menacing," Trostle said.Marty Jagoda, chief vehicle engineer for Ram's high-performance SRT division, said his team sought to equip the top-end Rumble Bee for the track, tweaking its aerodynamics, adding extra air cooling, an upgraded suspension and massive tires.AdvertisementAdvertisement"My challenge to the engineering team was to make Rumble Bee SRT do un-truck-like things," he said. "This isn't a truck where you're kind of up on the wheel, dithering it to get down the road. When you mash the gas, turn the steering wheel or press a drive mode, this truck responds for you."Stephanie Brinley, an auto analyst with S&P Global Mobility who attended the Rumble Bee launch this week, sees opportunity for Ram with the new offering, especially if the brand can manage the prices and make them attainable for a wider set of customers. Ram also may be able to build sales momentum this year as competitors Ford and General Motors Co. deal with production limitations.More: Ram boosts Stellantis sales in first quarterYet to be seen, however, is whether the Rumble Bees create some "cannibalization" within the brand, Brinley said, where shoppers who were already going to buy a different Ram truck instead opt for the new street-focused V-8 version.Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis unveiled the new Rumble Bee truck lineup on Tuesday at an event at the automaker's test track outside of Ann Arbor.Rising gas prices due to the Iran war, and the potential for stricter emissions regulations under a new administration later this decade, also could complicate the Rumble Bee's success and the brand's new focus on its less-efficient Hemi engines in general.AdvertisementAdvertisement"By the time this thing's on the showroom floor, I'd like to believe that gas prices will be backing off," Kuniskis said of the Rumble Bee's initial launch, targeted for around Halloween. "I have no idea, but if you watch them over time, data would suggest by the time this is on the showroom floor, we'll be back to normal."lramseth@detroitnews.comThis article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Ram launches 3 Rumble Bee muscle trucks for the street. Will they sell?